The Perfect Fall
by Sorasgirl333
Summary: Life can go from simple and easy going to a complete downward spiral and she experienced it all. Whoever had said her life was perfect had no clue what she was going through. Drama&angst&mix of romance
1. Face Down

**Title**- The Perfect Fall

**Author**- Sorasgirl333

**Summary**- Life can go from simple and easy going to a complete downward spiral and she experienced it all. Whoever said her life was perfect had no clue what she was going through.

**Disclaimer**- I don't own Square-Enix stuff.

**Author's Note**- Hello again! Yes, a new story and something I really am dedicated to stick to because it's _completely _different from _anything _I have _ever _written. I've been planning on this story since March 4, 2007. I just wanted to finish _Dear Diary 2: Beyond the Pages_ before I got myself into another story (which didn't happen exactly as planned). This story is practically opposite of anything you've ever read before (at least out of my work). My inspiration is my favorite author Sarah Dessen. Her books are absolutely amazing and I mixed a bit of everything I've read by her into a totally new twist of my own. (I suggest reading them).

**To start off with**- This story begins with part of a chapter later on in this story. It will make sense later, it's just supposed to make you wonder more before knowing anything. Anyway, ask me questions if you need clarification!

**Chapter 1**- Face Down

The atmosphere was bone chilling and the dark gray clouds were slowly moving in. Every so often, a flash of lightening would brighten the sky, if only for a split second. Thunder rumbled angrily around Riverside. It had been a while since it had rained and I was anxiously wishing it would. My feet stomped on the ground as I ran at my fastest pace with all the pain I was feeling throughout my aching body. My heartbeat was abnormally fast as I looked back down the street at that two story house. The streets were getting darker but the street lights were slowly starting to illuminate the sidewalks. If I didn't get away from that house soon, he'd find me.

The rain started to slowly come down. My breath was sharp with each step I took; it was finally starting to get to me. I slowed down at the end of the street and leaned forward, feeling as if I was about to let everything just come out. I put my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath the best I could. The rain began to fall a little faster as each minute passed which didn't bother me at all thinking maybe, just maybe it'll blur his vision so he can't see me. My cheek was throbbing and hot and as I was about to put my cool hand against it, I heard what I didn't want to hear.

"Kairi!" His voice was loud and angry. I looked back in the direction of the house. Cars were still aligned with the streets and the house was alive with plenty of bodies moving around inside. Walking down the sidewalk of the light blue house was a tall slender figure. With the lights from inside the house, the figure was only a silhouette but I knew very well who the shadowed figured belonged to.

"No." I whispered since I began to shake. The figure started to slowly walk in my direction. He obviously had spotted me which, in my mind, was the worst possible thing at that moment. If I continued to stand where I was, who knows what could happen. I wanted to run, scream, something, anything, but I couldn't move.

"Kairi! I'm not through talking with you!" That voice was something I was starting to hear more often then I thought I ever would. He used to be so caring and loving. What happened to the boy I fell in love with? Who was the monster wanting to hurt me?

"Please, God, help me." I said under my breath as tears started up again. I didn't want to hurt anymore. He moved closer and all I could do was watch. Eventually, he was standing just a few feet away with me. His eyes were dark and evil, the same look he gave me right before he'd hurt me. I swallowed hard as I stared at him shaking in the cold night.

"What the hell is wrong with you! You know not to run away from me when we're trying to work something out, damn it!" His strong arms shoved me. I stumbled back onto the lawn of a tall, gray colored home. I caught my balance right before he came up to me and shoved me again. Once the impact of his hit got to me, I fell back into a tree that was placed peacefully at the end of the yard. My spine tingled as it met with the trunk before I fell to the ground crying. I was in pain and couldn't move.

"Please," I pleaded with him. "Stop. Please."

"Get up!" He screamed down at me. I didn't move, I couldn't move. He reached down and grabbed my wrist, yanking me up full force. The pain was unbearable in his grip. It felt like a couple of rocks grinding against my bones which made my hand completely numb. I wanted to get away so bad.

"Hey, man! Dude, are you out here?" The voice of his friend traveled out into the streets. My boyfriend looked back at him which gave me the chance to get out of his grip. I turned abruptly which caused my wrist to feel like it was on fire. I began to run, run away from him, his friend, everything that involved the whole incident.

"Kairi!" He yelled after me. I could hear his feet pounding against the asphalt as I ran down the street. My feet began to pick up the pace as I ran as fast as I could. The rain was falling at an unbelievably fast rate but it was what I needed. Eventually I couldn't hear him behind me anymore after I had passed another street. I figured he had given up on me now to go back to the party. He'd probably deal with me later.

After numerous streets had been passed, I made it to a familiar park that Yuffie and I had grown up in. The grass was a luscious green with the Oak and Aspin trees shadowing the play set I used to play on. I missed when I didn't have to care about anything except if Yuffie got the better dessert in her lunches in the days of our elementary lives. I had stopped crying after a few streets down but remembering the good old days were starting to build them back up.

I walked over to a large Oak tree that I used to climb in when I wanted to get away from Yuffie or the other kids at the park. Mom was always worried I'd fall or hurt myself but I always assured her that I'd be okay. I still tell her that but it was far from the truth now.

Instead of climbing it's old, steady limbs, I sat at it's trunk. I pulled my legs close to my chest. It was cold now and it didn't help that my clothes were wet. My wrist began to sting which caused me to slowly and carefully roll up my sleeve. Before my very eyes, I could see a blue-green color forming in the shape of a hand where he had grabbed me. It stung but my back was worse. The pain was uncontrollably horrid and completely unreal but I managed to forget about it until my wrist started to hurt.

Why had he done this to me? He told me he loved me. Did he mean anything he's ever said to me? I looked down at my right wrist, the one he didn't hurt, to see the silver hearted bracelet he had given me a month ago. This was his fourth time hurting me since we have been together and it still surprises me.

I began to think back to before and a couple months after meeting him. My life was perfect, that's what everyone told me. I was a great student, had plenty of great friends, I did have a great life. It _was _a great life up until about two months ago. I still hear from others how jealous they are of my life. You have the coolest mom, best dad, fantastic sister and a perfect boyfriend is what they'd tell me. Oh how far from the truth that was. My mom had her faults just like a normal human. My dad is continuously stressed from incoherent clients. My sister was far from fantastic by sneaking out at night doing God knows what. My boyfriend, ha, what a joke. So if he was one, why did I love him so much?

"I'm not perfect." I said out loud to no one in particular. I tightened my legs against me to keep warm. My chin was resting on the top of my knees now. "Never have, never will."

**A/N**: Short, yes. Good? You tell me. (And no, I'm not going to tell you who her boyfriend is. He will be named eventually). The story will be updated probably in a month, I want it to be seen like this for a while. (Chapter 2 and almost 3 is done already).


	2. Thinking Underage

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 2**- Thinking Underage

The cool breeze made the hot summer a little more bearable. I was in my car with the air conditioning on full blast. My auburn hair fluttered around me while I drover into town to meet up with my two best friends whom were waiting by Freeze 'Em Up Ice Cream in the Riverside Mall.

We had a week left until the start of our senior year at Douglas High School. It was an exciting yet nervous feeling to think this was our final year before our lives began for real. This was going to be our best year ever. Yuffie always would say that this was my final chance to be young and carefree before becoming a responsible young adult out in the world. She made sure her senior year wasn't something to forget. I remember one night, I was doing my late night studying for a test the next day when I'd seen my sister pass by my bedroom window of our two story home. I quickly got up to open my window and stuck my head out.

"Where are you going?" I asked as she turned to face me with a smile. Yuffie walked back toward me a little, reached her hand out to my head, and messed up my hair.

"Going out." She put her finger over her lips telling me to keep my mouth shut. "I'll be home later. Love you." Yuffie walked to the oak tree on the side of our house. She stretched out her arms to reach a branch before she pulled her body against the trunk. I watched my older sister climb down carefully and quietly. She disappeared behind the roof and branches. A little down the street was Leon, her boyfriend, sitting in his car, waiting for her. Yuffie ran across our lawn, onto the sidewalk, and toward Leon's car. She slid into the passenger seat before they disappeared into the night. This wasn't the first, nor last time Yuffie did that.

I always admired my sister. She was great in school. Her teachers loved her and she participated in anything she could, at least if it appealed to her. Yuffie, in the eyes of my parents and the majority of people who knew her, was smart, well behaved, and honest. No one knew of her little habit of sneaking out at night except for her friends and me. She'd been that way most of her high school career.

Me, however, I was different in that way. I was good in school, maintained A's and B's most of my life. I always listened to authority figures and was honest with everyone I knew. After Yuffie graduated last year, she put her arm around my shoulders at her graduation and suggested that I carry on her wild habit since she wasn't going to be able to as much and it was my last chance. I told her it'd be highly unlikely to catch me doing something like that.

---

I parked my car in the packed parking lot of Riverside Mall. Stepping out of my cool car was like stepping into an oven that was heating up. I put my keys into my bag that was slung over my shoulder. There were heat waves rising and blurring the asphalt as I walked toward the entrance.

The two-story mall was chilly, yet relieving. Hundreds of people, from infants to the elderly, populated the mall. I hurried through the crowd toward Freeze 'Em Up Ice Cream. It was late and I was going to be hearing about it. Finally, the blue, with white frost, sign came into view. I walked inside the busy parlor.

"It's about time!" Namine sighed who was sitting at a table with Riku sitting beside her.

"Sorry." I replied, dodging a little boy who ran in front of me before I sat down. Namine gathered all of her soft blonde hair and let it fall behind her shoulders. Riku blew his shoulder length, silver hair out of his aquamarine colored eyes.

"Let's get something and get out of here." Riku said standing up. Namine and I followed his lead and stood in line. Namine was wearing white sandals with a white tank top and a light blue skirt that matched her eyes. Riku was wearing a Douglas track team shirt, which was red. He was also sporting a pair of black mesh running shorts. The shirt of course had a dragon on the back with fire shooting out of its mouth. Go Dragons!

"So, what did you want to tell us?" I asked Namine, who supposedly had to share something very important with Riku and myself. A baby behind us began crying before its mother cooed at it.

"Oh, right!" Namine's face brightened up. Riku crossed his arms, annoyed at how slow the line was moving. "So, I met this guy who works at the movie theater. His name is Clay and he's twenty-one."

"An old guy?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"He's not old." Namine defended this guy named Clay. "He's only in his early twenties."

"Four and a half year gap." I added.

"Whose side are you on?" She questioned me. I couldn't reply to that question since I wasn't trying to side with either of them. I was simply just stating a fact. I shrugged to answer her instead.

"Anyway, what about this Clay guy?" Riku asked. I looked ahead to see that we were next in line to order.

Namine said, "Well, he asked me to go see a romantic movie with him this weekend." She sighed happily. I've known Namine since middle school. Her parents were similar to mine but a little stricter. Namine's mom worked with my mom as another Kindergarten teacher at Riverside Elementary. Her father was a carpenter. Namine has always been their perfect little angel with hardly any mistakes. She always knew right from wrong and never fell too hard for a boy.

"Aw." I smiled. Namine grinned while Riku gave a half smile. Riku, who I've known since before elementary school, used to be my next-door neighbor until four years ago. He's always seemed to know the way to solve my problems that life threw at me. He seems to be the quiet, yet angry type, but he really wasn't if and when you got to know him. He's just misunderstood. Riku's the star track team runner and holds the best scores in time at our school. All the girls seem to swoon over him but he usually ignores it.

"Next!" One of the workers said. The three of us moved forward. "Welcome to Freeze 'Em up Ice Cream. What can I get you today?"

"I'd like a strawberry and vanilla swirl ice cream in a waffle cone, please." Namine said.

I looked at everything on the menu before I finally decided. "Can I get a mocha and mint chocolate chip ice cream shake?" The worker nodded his head as he entered it in the cash register.

"Fruit Blast Protein shake." Riku said. I looked at him. The guy who took our orders went to make them.

"A protein shake?" I asked.

"Of course. I have to stay healthy and fit for track." Riku grinned. I smiled shaking my head. I knew track wasn't until the end of winter but Riku always had to be prepared. After we got our orders and paid for them, we left the busy mall.

---

"Yuffie, what are you doing?" My mother sighed from the island in our kitchen as she watched my older sister look through all the drawers, cushions, and coat pockets. It was after dinner and my mom was working up a lesson plan for the kindergarteners. My dad went into his office to work on some evidence for the next court case he was working on. He always seemed busy with work since he was the best and most well known lawyer in the city.

"I'm looking for extra change." Yuffie replied. I watched my sister run around the house with her shoulder length, raven black hair pulled back into a ponytail; dark green halter top; faded blue pants with many holes, and white flip flops. I was sitting on the couch trying to watch something on Italy but she happened to stop right in front of the screen.

"Yuffie," I said causing her to look at me. "I'm trying to watch TV."

"What do you need money for?" My mom asked. Yuffie didn't move but looked at my mom from where she was standing. I sighed and got up to get something to drink.

"Well, Leon is taking me to the drive-in movies to meet up with a few friends. We're going to go see a scary movie." She explained. "I need some extra money for snacks. I only found," Yuffie counted the change in her hand. "$2.56." I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with ice water.

"Here." My mom pulled out her wallet from her bag beside her. She handed Yuffie a ten-dollar bill.

"Thank you, mom!" Yuffie wrapped her arms around our mom before bolting up the stairs. I walked back into the living room and sat in my dad's lazy boy recliner. I started to watch the Italy show again when the doorbell rang. I looked out the window to see Leon looking in. I smiled and waved for him to enter.

"Hey, Kairi." He smiled at me. Leon and my sister had been dating for a little over a year now. He was a tall, well-built, light brown haired guy. Leon was known as the mysterious kind of individual but he was a great person for my sister who was the complete opposite. My parents liked him the night Yuffie brought him over for dinner.

"Leon, how's it going?" My dad had come out of his office. He was tall with dark green eyes, black hair and completely friendly toward most people, especially Leon who wanted to be a lawyer, influenced by my father of course.

"I'm doing good, sir. How about yourself?" Leon shook his hand.

"Good, good." My dad chuckled which made me smile. He noticed and put his hand on my head to mess with my hair. My mother walked in greeting Leon. She was a beautiful woman. Her hair was long and the same auburn color as mine with dark blue eyes. She put her arm around my dad and my dad put his arm over her shoulders. They were so happy together and I couldn't wait to have someone happy with me, as I with them. Yuffie ran down the stairs with a white, lightweight jacket.

"Hi." She hugged Leon tightly. "We better go so we get a good spot."

"You two have fun." My dad said as the two walked to the door.

"Be home no later than midnight." My mom added. Yuffie nodded and left. Even though Yuffie was almost nineteen, she still had to follow house rules as long as she lived here. I looked out the window to see the sun getting ready to set. Since this was my favorite time of the day, I got up to go into my bedroom.

My walls were white with a few pictures and posters here and there. The sheets on my bed were dark blue and lavender. I walked across the hardwood floor to my window and opened it. The roof was hot, so I brought my towel out with me. There was a spot next to my window where I'd always sit with either my friends or my sister.

I sat on my towel and leaned my head against my window frame. The light breeze blew my hair off to the side. It was warm and soothing to have the sunrays on me before the sun went to bed behind the tall trees and buildings in the city. I closed my eyes and took in the feeling of having everything be _perfect_.

---

"Aw." I smiled at Namine. It was the Sunday before school started and we were sitting at a local hangout, which was a mix of a coffee house and a restaurant that served mostly goodies. I was drinking a Shirley Temple while Namine was eating a chocolate donut.

"He held my hand the whole time." Namine looked like she was glowing. Her date was last night and she was telling me all about it.

"He seems like a pretty good guy, Namine."

"Clay is great." She finished off her donut. I smiled as I continued to drink my beverage.

"So when am I going to meet him anyway?"

"Well, there's this party near Centennial High." She said pointing out the window in the direction of our rivaling school, home of the Jaguars. "There's supposed to be a lot of people there but it should be fun. Clay's the one who invited me."

"When is it?" I asked, drinking up the rest of my drink.

"Saturday night." Namine ran her fingers through her blonde hair. I nodded and looked at the clock. It was already six in the evening and I knew I had to get myself mentally prepared for the first day.

"We better head home." I stood up and Namine did the same. We left a tip on the table before we walked into the cool summers air. It was still hot out but it was normal.

"Make sure you can go, Kairi. I really want you to meet Clay." Namine said unlocking her car, which was next to mine. I looked up but she wasn't looking at me. "I think he may be the one."

"Namine, you hardly know this guy." I said. She turned her head to face me before looking down at the ground.

"I know, but there's something about him. I don't know. Just see for yourself, okay?" She opened the door and got in. I watched my best friend pull out of the parking spot and drive toward the exit. Clay really had to be something in order for Namine to be acting this way. I sighed and got into my car.

---

The first week wasn't bad. It was typical for the first five days but I knew this year had a lot to offer me. Riku had P.E. with me while I had English with Namine. All I heard from the kids at school was the party near Centennial. This must have been a big deal since most the school knew about it and Namine's new interest, who was older, knew.

"It's about time you live a little." Yuffie sighed as she fell onto my bed. I was standing near my closet, examining everything I had. I turned around to look at my sister.

"I have gone to parties before." I shook my head looking back into my closet. "I'm not a complete loser."

"I'm just saying. It is your senior year, you need to be out there enjoying every ounce of freedom you have!" She was over exaggerating which was typical of her.

"I'm not like you, you know." I pulled out a low cut, red top and light blue jeans.

"Oh, wonderful choice!" Yuffie was now standing behind me. She pulled the clothes out of my hands and put them in front of her. She began examining her reflection in the mirror on the back of my bedroom door. I turned to look at her.

"I do enjoy my freedom, thank you very much." I grabbed my clothes out of her hands. "I need to change."

"You have to make sure you tell me all about this party."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I scooted her out my door and locked it shut behind her. I stripped down and put on my new outfit. It didn't look bad but I was wondering if I was overdoing it. Who was I trying to impress anyway? I put on some chap stick and brushed my hair one last time before walking downstairs with my cell phone in my pocket.

"Call if you need anything." My mom said who was standing at the front door.

"Of course." I nodded. She kissed the top of my head and smiled. I walked out the front door and got into my car. I was due to go pick up Riku since he promised he'd come with me and he knew the way. I was somewhat anxious to see who was going to be at this party. There were obviously going to be Centennial and Douglas students but clearly others too.

I drove out of my cul-de-sac and into town towards Riku's house. Riku, of course, looked casual and laid back as always. Dressed in dark blue jeans and a light blue shirt, he got into my car and smiled. I wouldn't know what to do without him by my side. We drove into the other side of town just a few blocks away from Centennial High School. There seemed to be hundreds of cars along the side of the road. The houses nearby all seemed like mansions compared to where I lived.

"Dang." Riku said as we finally found somewhere to park at the end of the street. It was already getting dark but the house that was hosting the party seemed wide-awake.

"I wonder where Namine is." I said as Riku and I began to head toward the house. I pulled out my cell to dial her number but she never picked up. "No luck."

"Guess we'll have to go and find her ourselves." Riku grabbed my hand and began to run. It was hard keeping up with the star track runner and I knew this wasn't his fastest speed either. We managed to get to the entrance in what seemed like no time. Riku pushed the door open and music blasted out. I startled me at first but I was in awe at how many bodies were dancing and mingling around.

"This is going to be difficult." I sighed as Riku pulled me in. The night was young and the party seemed to be in full throttle.

**A/N**: haha, yay me! I finished yet another chapter. Now it's your turn to do your part.


	3. Paperthin Hymn

**The Perfect Fall **

**Chapter 3**- Paperthin Hymn

The house was remarkably huge and I wondered just how many were attending this party. Many of the people I recognized, although there was a fair amount I didn't.

"Stay here, I'll go find Namine." Riku said loudly into my ear. He started to squeeze through bodies before he disappeared into the crowd. I stood there watching everything. I felt so small and unknown with everyone near by. Riku really couldn't expect me to stand still until he got back. I figured he would find me as long as I stayed in the general area.

I walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. As I passed by the dining table, I saw about six people playing poker. Smoke was filling the air which caused me to cough. I hurried over to the kitchen counter. I grabbed an unopened can knowing this was probably the safest thing to do. My eyes wandered the people in the kitchen as I took a sip. Theat's when someone bumped into me. I fell forward which caused some of the soda to splash out of the small opening and down part of my shirt. Luckily it wasn't too much.

"Oh, Shi-." The person stopped mid-sentence when he saw me. My mouth was open in shock of the soda dripping down my red top. "I am _so _sorry!"

"Um, it's okay." I set my can down on the counter. The boy in front of me handed me some napkins.

"Man, I feel like an idiot." He sighed as he ran his hand through his semi-long, spiked hair. I managed to wipe off most of the drink.

"It's okay, really." I assured him. He looked down at me. His eyes were an amazing blue color. This boy was well dressed, tall, tan, and even to sum it up, handsome. He grinned at me and I felt my face go red.

"Hi," He held his hand out to me. "I'm Sora."

I put my hand in his and shook it. "Kairi." He smiled again before letting go.

"Well, uh." Sora looked back into the living room. "I better go. Sorry, again." He walked away before I said anything else.

"Kairi!" I heard my name behind me in the kitchen. I turned around to see Riku walking through the other entrance. He walked up to me. "I thought I told you to stay put."

"I got thirsty." I said. I saw his eyes wander down to my shirt.

"What happened to you?"

"Got bumped into and my soda spilled." I explained picturing Sora's embarrassed face.

"Oh."

"So did you find Namine?"

"Yeah. She's upstairs. Let's go." I followed Riku out of the kitchen.

People were literally everywhere. A number of them were making out in numerous places. We walked in between two who were at it on the stairs. I felt weird walking by. Riku led me down the hall into one of the bedrooms. It had a few people lounging around. A guy and a girl were all over each other on the bed. A tall blond was leaning out the window while Namine sat next to the open window reading a book. Riku rustled up her hair.

She put her book in her lap and fixed her hair. "Riku!" Namine sighed. She looked up to see us both standing there. "Hey! I'm glad you made it."

"I'm back." I looked behind me. A tan, light brown haired guy was holding two drinks. His dark gray-blue eyes caught the light. Namine jumped up and walked toward him. He seemed serious and yet laid back. He handed Namine the plastic cup, which she took a small drink from.

"Clay, these are my best friends," Namine smiled at us. "Kairi and Riku."

"Hey." Clay lifted his chin and took a big gulp. I waved and Riku nodded in response. My blonde haired best friend walked toward me with a soft smile.

"Isn't he adorable?"She said quietly. The smell of beer drifted toward me. I hated the smell and taste of it; I knew Namine did too. My nose automatically scrunched up. I took her cup and looked in it.

"Come with me." I grabbed Namine's wrist with my spare hand. I pulled her out into the hallway.

Namine looked at me confused. "What are we doing?"

"Namine," I sighed looking at the beer again. "You don't drink. I know you hate this stuff."

"I know." She took the cup from me. Her finger traced around he plastic rim. "But when I'm with him, I feel alive. I know doing this is against my morals but I think I love him, Kairi. You don't think when you're in love."

"You hardly know him. What, it's been like two weeks?"

"You've never dated anyone besides Riku!" Namine sighed heavily. It was true. Riku and I liked each other back in middle school and "dated" for about two months before realizing we were better friends then we were as a couple.

"You don't know this feeling." Namine looked back into the bedroom where Riku and Clay were talking. I didn't know how to respond since this was also true.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Thank you for caring." Namine hugged me. She led me back into the room to let me get to know this new love of hers.

---

From actually talking to Clay the other night, he seemed like a pretty good guy for Namine. He said he used to attend Douglas while he was in high school. He was a class graduate of 2004. Namine, Riku and me were just freshmen, so I couldn't even remember the junior or senior classes.

I was sitting in my room watching T.V. Yuffie was in her room on the phone, at least that's what it sounded like through the wall. My finger traced the power button on my remote. I watched my screen go black before reaching for my 2003-2004 yearbook. I began to flip through the glossy pages, to the seniors. My eyes wandered the unfamiliar faces until I cam across a tan, light brown haired boy in a tux. Clay hadn't changed too much. His hair was in his eyes but it was well groomed in an attractive way. I began to notice a lot of the male seniors were actually good looking. Being a complete girl, I looked for the attractive ones.

My curiosity began to wander some more as I opened up my 2004-2005 yearbook. I was getting tired and my eyes grew heavy but I still wanted to look. I laid down on my stomach with the senior page opened in front of me. I decided to give my head a rest, so I laid it on the first senior page. My eyes closed and I took in a deep breath. I'll open up again in a little bit. I just needed a break.

---

"Kairi, get your lazy butt up. It's time for school." Yuffie's voice found it's way into my head. I mumbled and turned my head, when I realized it wasn't on my pillow, but something smooth. My arms lifted myself up and I peered down with my sleep eyes. A boy with a serious half smile, in a tux stared back. I was surprised by his eyes and how powerful they seemed even if it was just a picture. My eyes looked down at the name–

"Kairi?"I looked up to see my mom in the doorway. Her face caught the morning light that showered my room. It looked like she was glowing. "Honey, you're going to be late. It's already 6:40."

"What?" I gasped, jumping out of my bed, bolting into the bathroom. I quickly stripped down and got into the shower. I didn't even think about grabbing clothes, so I had to run into my room with my towel. It was about 7:15 by the time I had dried my hair and brushed my teeth. My mom handed me a bagel as I said my goodbyes to my family.

The ride to school didn't take longer then 10 minutes but the parking lot was always usually packed by 7:15. I ended up parking toward the back. The lines of cars seemed endless as I walked across the hot asphalt. Namine and Riku were already waiting in the commons.

"Gee, took you long enough." Riku smiled.

"Oh, shush. I woke up late." I defended myself.

"So there's this concert on, I think, Friday at Midnight Sun Café." Namine brought up as I sat down next to her at one of the tables. "Clay really wants me to go. You two should come as well."

I looked at Riku who was considering this idea. "What's playing?" He asked.

"Clay says some band called Silent Existence. They're four seniors from CHS. He's heard them before and I guess they play at Midnight Sun Café a lot, gaining popularity around Riverside and then some."

"I don't see why not. I'll go." Riku reclined in his seat.

"I'll go too." I agreed. Namine smiled at me.

The week didn't really consist of much really. Yuffie snuck out a couple of times to meet up with Leon, of course. I just waved as she passed my window late at night. As Friday afternoon came around, Namine seemed more anxious.

"What is your problem?" I asked as we walked toward the parking lot after school. Riku had a dentist appointment and left after lunch. Namine waited at the sidewalk in front of the school lawn. She had a grin on her face.

"Clay's going to come pick me up."

"I thought you were coming over?" I had driven Namine to school with me since we planned to do homework together.

"He sent me a text message last class saying he had plans and he wanted me to be apart of them." The look on her face and the sound of her voice made it clear where she wanted to be.

A black Honda Accord pulled up with the music blasting. The dark tinted window of the drivers seat rolled down. Clay had on his black sunglasses and a dark blue baseball cap on backwards. He turned down the radio to a low rumble.

"Ready?" He asked. Namine nodded and ran in front of the car to the passenger side. "Sup, Kairi?" He nodded. I smiled slightly.

"See you at seven!" Namine yelled over Clay's shoulder. I waved as they took off leaving me behind to go home alone.

---

"Where's dad?" I asked Yuffie as I grabbed a soda from the fridge. I had just finished all my homework that needed to be done and I even studied for an upcoming quiz in math.

"He's on a case over in North Ridge." She replied.

"Yuff, I found a good priced one on Eagle Road." Leon walked into the kitchen with the section of the paper: HOUSES. He placed it down on the island and pointed. Yuffie walked toward him and looked where his finger was. Leon looked up at me. "Oh, hey Kairi."

"Hi Leon." I smiled. "So what did you find on Eagle Road?"

Leon pointed again so I walked over and stood next to my sister. "A two bedroom apartment for $530 rent."

"God that's cheap." Yuffie said.

"We can go look at if you want." He said.

"Planning on moving out or something?" I asked jokingly. Yuffie grinned and hugged onto Leon.

"Yep!" She said happily. I was kind of taken back by this.

"You're leaving?"

"Well not right away." Yuffie let go of Leon and sat on one of the bar stools. She started looking through the housing section. "We have to find a house first."

"Do you think that mom and dad will actually let you just go?"

She shrugged not looking up. "Who knows. It's not like I'm moving within this month or anything. I still need a job to help pay for rent." I began to think of Yuffie all dressed up for some job which seemed silly in my mind. My sister wasn't the working type. My phone began to vibrate.

I held it up to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Kairi. Namine called and she said they decided to start performing at six instead of seven. Are you close to being ready yet?" Riku asked on the other side. I glanced at the clock to see it was about a quarter to five.

"Let me take my shower then get fixed up. Are you going to come pick me up?"

"Sure. I'll be there at five-thirty. Be ready. Later." He hung up quickly. I ran up the stairs into my room to pick out an outfit.

---

"Seriously, what takes girls so long?" I heard Riku's voice as I reached the bottom step. I looked at the clock to see that it was five-thirty. Just on time.

"I'm ready and I'm on time, buddy." I said pushing Riku.

"Well at least you look nice. Are you trying to impress someone or something?" He grinned slyly.

"Oh shush." I said running my hands down my green halter top and black pants. "Let's get going Mr. Impatient."

"Ha, ha, ha." He said sarcastically as he walked toward the door.

"Tell mom and dad that I'm going to be home later!" I called after Yuffie, who was still in the kitchen with Leon.

"Whatever!" She replied as I closed the door.

Riku and I drove to Midnight Sun Café with the music blasting, the windows down, and us singing to the songs that came on. The weather is always decently hot in Riverside during late August, early September, but when it comes to riding in a car with the wind circulating, it's a nice, warm breeze. Riku pulled into the parking lot which was getting pretty full. We walked inside the large café, the same one that Namine and I had met up in when she talked to me about Clay. It was packed with a lot of Centennial High students and a few Douglas ones here and there. It was slightly humid inside with the heat from the outside and the large crowd of students compact together. Just barely, I heard the air conditioner kick in over head. Thank god it did or else this would be one hell of hot night.

Riku and I squeezed through to one of the booths where we saw Namine leaning up against Clay. He was leaning back against the wall and laying sideways in the booth. She waved at us and we walked to sit in the booth next to them. I leaned against the wall like Clay and Riku sat next to me as a waitress came to get our order.

She was an average height woman dressed in a white polo shirt, black jeans, and a green apron with the logo of the café and of course her name tag. She was pretty, a young aged woman, maybe just out or high school or not much older. Her hair was long and brown and her eyes were just like the color of coffee. "Hello, welcome to the Midnight Sun Café. My name is Tifa. If you would like anything, just let me know. Please enjoy the concert tonight."

"Thank you." I smiled and Riku nodded. She smiled back and placed a menu between us. Namine tapped my shoulder and I turned to look at her.

"I'm really glad you made it tonight." She smiled softly as Clay tightened his grip around her.

"Of course, I'm you're best friend." I half smiled. I leaned closer to hint to Namine that I wanted to ask her something in private. She leaned in toward me and I asked, "so what plans did Clay have that he wanted you for?"

"Oh, I'll explain later."

"You promise?" I asked hesitantly. I noticed something about her was different and I wasn't quite sure what to really think of it.

"Of course, Kairi. I'm you're best friend." The way the words came out of her mouth, it sounded twisted, like it didn't belong there. My stomach felt lighter in a weird way and the little voice in my head wasn't so sure she was telling me the truth.

"Right... of course." I said turning back to face Riku who was scanning the menu. Namine giggled in the booth next to me because Clay had obviously said something funny. Riku looked up at me.

"You okay?" He frowned slightly. I was glad to know someone at least cared.

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The lights dimmed slightly and I looked up. The stage near the entrance was now lit up and the instruments seemed to shine. A girl dressed in the same attire as Tifa, stood on stage. She was also young, except she was a blonde with a perky attitude. She reached for the microphone on the stand. "Hello! Welcome to Midnight Sun Café! I'm Rikku and I'm the hostess for tonight" The crowd cheered. "I'd like you all to keep the cheering on as we bring out Silent Existence!" The crowd suddenly roared and my head went numb. I clapped too of course. Just by hearing how much noise there was, this band was definitely something.

The group of four made their way from the backroom onto the stage. Many of the Centennial High students got louder. The band took their place to the instruments they played. The boy that took the lead guitar and microphone looked up and out toward the crowd. My stomach suddenly got butterflies. He looked so familiar and I wasn't sure why.

"Hey!" He smiled. That's when I knew. "I'm Sora." Flashbacks from the party flipped through my head and I caught myself smiling.

"I'm Hayner." The boy holding the base announced on his own microphone. He had a unique hair style that was a dirty sand blond.

"I'm Pence." He was at the keyboard. He wasn't the smallest of guys but he wasn't outrageously big either with black hair.

"And I'm Roxas." The boy on the drums declared. He had a big smile on his face and his hair was similar to Sora's only in a blond, bed-head kind of way.

"And together we're, Silent Existence!" They said in unison, received another loud applause.

"One, two, three, four!" Roxas counted out the beats with his drum sticks and the band began. They're music was loud and in your face but not in a heavy medal, earache sort. Before I knew it, I was tapping my foot along to the beat and bobbing up and down with the rest of the crowd. I turned to Namine to thank her for inviting me but she wasn't there. Neither was Clay.

"Where's Namine?" I yelled over to the boy who was with them. He looked stoned out of his mind.

He shrugged. "Clay and her just got up and left."

I was irritated and kind of sad that she just did that to me. What was she doing and why couldn't she tell me? I turned to find Riku flirting with some girl from CHS. She was leaning against the bench to listen in more to what he had to say. I sunk back in the booth and crossed my arms.

I felt a cool breeze from the doorway and I looked up hoping to see Namine and Clay coming back in. Instead, I saw the same green eyes and serious expression from the boy in the yearbook. He noticed me sit up straight and staring right at him. A half smile appeared on his face. He had caught my attention without even trying and I actually think I did the same.

**A/N**: So how goes it? (Smiles)


	4. Sweet Talk 101

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 4**- Sweet Talk 101

I sat straighter and looked directly at him. He was still smiling at me. This guy was in a black sweatshirt with white strips down the arms. He also had dark blue jeans and black skater shoes. The blond hair on his head was short and slightly scraggly enough to fall in front of his brilliant green eyes. His arms were crossed and he was still in front of the door. There was something about him that just kept me memorized.

That's when it happened of course. A girl with short, chin length, light purple hair, that fell in front of one eye, walked in behind him. She had a pretty face with a serious expression planted upon it. Her eyes were an amber-brown color and they searched the crowd. She was dressed in a lavender short, sleeveless dress and white high heals. The girl looked about the boys age and possibly even a beauty pageant contestant, minus the purple hair.

The girl stretched up to whisper something into his ear. He bent down a little and listened to what she had to say intently, with a nod here and there, and of course with a smile still on his face. By the time she was done with whatever she had said to him, they linked arms and walked in more. I lost them in the crowd within seconds.

This site had disappointed me and I wasn't quite sure why either. I didn't know him - or her-, so why did it matter? I probably wouldn't see them ever again, well at least him. I guess that was the disappointing part.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked suddenly. I realized I was still sitting up and cranking my neck to look into the crowd. I immediately slouched back down.

I shook my head, "Nothing." He looked back to see if Namine and Clay where behind us. When he realized they weren't there, he looked at me with a questioning look. "Beats me, they just up and left without notice."

"That's weird." He said.

"Riku, can we go? I'm not feeling so swell anymore. I want to go home." I said feeling bummed.

"Yeah, sure." Riku scooted out of the booth and helped me out. I felt bad for leaving but there wasn't even a reason to. The person who had invited me here had ditched me. As Riku and I headed for the door, I looked up on stage to see Sora's intense blue eyes watch me. I smiled slightly and slipped out of sight into the cool air.

---

"Let me know if you hear anything from Namine." Riku said as we pulled up to my house. The street lights illuminated the sidewalk up to my house. It looked so warm and inviting, I couldn't wait to get inside.

I looked back at Riku. "I will." I said reaching over to hug him with one arm. "Thank you."

"No problem. See you Monday." He replied as I climbed out of his car. I waved at him as I headed up to my front door.

My mom was sitting on the couch with a stack of papers and a cup of coffee on the side table that was steaming. The stereo was playing soft orchestral music; it's her favorite to listen to. She looked up at me with a small smile. "That was quick. How was it?"

I heard Riku drive off as I closed the door. I walked over and sat next to my mom on the couch and brought my legs up to my chest. "It was okay." My head founds its place on her shoulder.

"You seem upset." She moved her papers onto the coffee table and patted her lap. I rested my head on her legs and got the rest of my body comfortable on the couch cushions . Her fingers began to run through my hair and I closed my eyes. She used to do this to me when I was sad or had a bad dream when I was little. It always got me to calm down.

"I just don't know what's happened to Namine, mom." I sighed. The music from our stereo drifted into my mind and it brought back flashes from today. Namine getting into Clay's car after school, Leon and Yuffie in the kitchen planning on moving, Sora and the band on stage, not finding Namine behind me, and lastly, the boy in the doorway. My eyes opened up.

"What happened tonight?" By the sound of her voice, which was calm and barely audible, she was concerned. It was comforting. My mom and I have always been close to each other. I preferred to tell her everything in my life instead of my dad; just the opposite of my sister. She's been there through all the ups and downs in my life.

"It wasn't just tonight." I said. "Namine was supposed to come over today after school, but Clay came and picked her up. Well Riku and I just met up with her at the concert tonight but as it started, she ended up leaving without telling any of us." My mom's hand stopped stroking my hair for a second before continuing again.

"That doesn't sound like Namine."

"I know."

"Maybe you should give her a call." She suggested. I sat up and looked at her.

"I guess I could. Thank you, mom." I leaned over and kissed her cheek.

She smiled at me. "Anytime, sweety." I stood up and walked up the stairs to my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and sat on my soft full sized bed. I reached into my pants pocket for my cell phone. My head fell back into my pillow as I dialed Namine's number. There were about four rings before it went to her answering machine.

---

About a month had passed from the night Riku and I were abandoned at the concert. Namine never really explained herself. Supposedly, Clay had to get home because his roommate was having some problems or something to that effect.

"I hate getting sick." Namine said as she zipped up her sweater more. It was warm out but she had come down with a fever.

"Don't we all." Riku said as we headed to his car after school.

"Well at least you can get some rest at my house." I put my arm around Namine as she laid her head on my shoulder as we walked.

She let out a huge yawn. "That'll be nice."

Namine ended up falling asleep in the back seat while Riku and I just talked about anything that came up. After Riku dropped us off, we went up into my room where I turned on the fan because Namine suddenly got really hot.

"I'm hungry," She said as she slipped off her coat. "Got anything good to eat?"

"Um, I'm sure we do. Anything in particular?" I asked. My hand was on the doorknob as she thought about the possibilities.

"Do you have any crackers?" A smile appeared on her face. "Those sound way good."

"I'll go check." I opened the door and walked downstairs. Yuffie was sitting in the kitchen with her laptop open. Her legs were pressed against her chest and she studied the screen. "What are you doing?" I asked, skimming through the pantry.

"Looking for a job." She sighed. "It's frustrating."

"You'll find one." I smiled as I grabbed some saltine crackers, always good for sick stomachs.

"Yeah, hopefully." Yuffie smiled back as I headed up the stairs. I walked down the hallway when Namine came out of the bathroom covering her mouth. The toilet was flushing inside.

"Woah, are you okay?" I asked. Tears were starting to fall from her eyes.

"I'm not hungry anymore." She said quietly. I set the crackers in the middle of the hallway and put my arms on her shoulders. Looking closely at her, she had become more pale and sick looking. I put my hand on her forehead which I came to find out was burning.

"Do you want to go to the drug store to get something for your fever?" She nodded slightly and I helped her downstairs. Yuffie was still at the computer. "We're going out. I'll be back later."

"Whatever." Of course, her typical answer. I helped Namine into my car before getting in myself. She ended up falling asleep on the way to the drug store in town. Namine must really be feeling sick.

I pulled into a parking spot and woke Namine up. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on. She slowly got out of the car and we walked together inside. I was about to turn down the isle carrying the drugs but Namine pulled me down another. She stopped in front of shelves full of boxes. It took me a second to realize why we were there.

"Namine..." I was in shock as she reached down to grab the nearest, "most accurate", pregnancy test. "Wha... why?"

Namine started to shake a little as she took in a deep breath. Her blue eyes looked over at me. "Kairi, I think I'm pregnant."

We took the test over to my house as she explained what was going on while we drove. The day that Namine left me for Clay at school, they went to shop for condoms. Later that night, hormones stated raging so they left before the concert actually started. She told me that after they were done, he cursed under his breath but said it was nothing when she asked what was wrong. Namine has the suspicion that the condom broke but he didn't want to scare her. He was her first and she figured nothing could happen. It was the only time they did it.

I was waiting outside my bathroom when it slowly opened to show Namine looking down at the pregnancy test. Tears started to fall quickly from her eyes as she showed me the result. It was a blue plus placed on the screen. It was positive.

* * *

My life was taking on a new wave and quite surprisingly fast at that. It couldn't be that my best friend was now a month pregnant and not a soul –besides Riku and me, of course- knowing, not even Clay. Or the fact that my sister and Leon managed to find a decent two bedroom apartment just in town with a rent of $630 a month. My parents still don't know about it, but I already know a major meltdown will occur in our house the moment word gets out. It couldn't be that I have four tests out of my six classes with enough distractions as it is. It also couldn't be the fact that I'm suddenly interested in two guys I hardly know, could it? My head hurt.

"Ow," I said rubbing the right side of my head that just hit against the dryer door I was loading. Now, not only was my head hurting from thoughts but now the stupid door of a cleaning machine added on to it.

"Sorry." Namine sighed; loading wet clothes from a nearby washing machine to the dryer my head recently encountered only seconds ago.

"It's not your fault." I said reaching into my pocket for quarters.

"No, I'm sorry for making you come with me." She said sitting in a chair. Namine had called me from her car, which was parked out front, with two bags of laundry, just two hours earlier. She claimed Clay and his roommates were in need of clean clothes but don't have a washer or dryer system. Of course, being the good girlfriend, Namine offered to do it for them while they went to work. Her parents would have freaked if they saw unfamiliar male clothes in their laundry room, especially when she has yet to even tell them that he's much older, let alone pregnant with his child.

We couldn't do it at my house because Yuffie decided to wash every pair of clothes she had and I knew that would be a while. The next best thing was the nearest laundry mat place in town. Namine and I had been in the noisy building for about an hour and a half and now we were just waiting for the last load to dry.

I sat down in a plastic chair, next to Namine. She closed her eyes as she placed her laced fingers on her stomach. She sighed and leaned back in the chair. "So are you ever going to tell your parents?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Namine wasn't looking at me. She seemed to be more focused on whatever was outside.

"It was just a question." I looked outside to see nothing but people walking by. "Have you thought of any names?"

"Not yet," She yawned. "I want Clay to help me decide."

"When are you planning on telling him?"

"Maybe in a couple of weeks. I have to get the courage first." We sat there in silence for a bit. It couldn't be that hard, could it? I really wouldn't know because no one I've ever known has been put in this situation before.

"Well there's an ice cream place just right across the street and I'm craving some. Want anything from there?" I asked standing up.

Namine thought for a second. "One scoop of Strawberry in a cup." I nodded and walked out the door. There were quite a few people walking around today but then again, this part of town was usually the busiest. I looked both ways before running across the road. There were just as many people on this side of the street as there was on the other.

"Hey Kairi?" Namine called from the doorway of the laundry mat. I turned around to look at her. "Never mind." She walked back inside.

"Okay…" I turned around to suddenly be face to face with Sora. I jumped back from the shock.

"Woah, close call." He laughed. I was catching my breath when he slightly tilted his head and had a soft smile on his face. He looked directly into my eyes, "has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful?"

I could honestly say not randomly like that. "Um, kind of?" I said unsure of how to really answer that. I mean sure, my parents and relative have said it, but as far as other people, they have referred to me as cute or pretty.

Sora stood straight up and suddenly had a serious expression. "Well, it's true."

I could already feel myself blush madly. "Thank you."

"Anytime." He grinned. I smiled at him then looked down at the ground. "So where are you heading to?"

"I'm going to the ice cream parlor." I pointed to the one just a few stores away.

"What a coincidence, I'm heading there too." Sora said as he started to walk toward it. I watched him head a few feet away when he noticed I wasn't next to him. "Aren't you coming?"

I walked next to him and we headed on our way. As we got closer, I looked at this somewhat of a stranger next to me with a smile. "You really didn't have plans to come to the ice cream parlor, did you?"

Sora reached for the door and opened it for me. "Maybe, maybe not." He winked as I walked in laughing. From the time Sora and I waited in line to get our ice cream to the point when we came to do the door of the laundry mat, I got to know this stranger a little better.

I learned that Sora's parents were killed by a drunk driver when he was 14 and now he lives with his mother's sister. He's been best friends with Roxas, the drummer from Silent Existence, since kindergarten. They formed their band two years ago for the heck of it, not expecting to be anything big. Sora isn't too much into watching sports but he loves playing them. He's lived in Riverside his whole life but he wants to go to college somewhere else besides what's nearby. It was weird how just a simple statement like "So tell me about yourself," could lead to that. I didn't really tell him much about myself except for the fact that I have two busy parents, a party animal sister, and two best friends who I love to death.

"So this must be Namine." Sora smiled at her once we walked inside. He handed her the ice cream she asked for. By the look on her face, she was very confused.

"Um, yes?" She said taking the ice cream from Sora. "Thank you..."

"Namine, this is Sora." I introduced them. They shook hands before he sat down on the other side of me.

"Okay, how come you can just go out to get ice cream and come back with a cute boy?" Namine sat up and asked. Sora laughed and I blushed in shock and embarrassment.

"Namine!" I said in a low hushed voice.

"We met about a month ago actually," Sora smiled looking past me at Namine. "I bumped into her at a party and we just bumped into each other again."

"Oh!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah." I began to eat my ice cream as they began to talk about whatever randomly came up.

---

Sora offered to drive me home since it would probably be awhile since Namine was going to be at Clay's house. "You seem like a really great person, Kairi." Sora said as we pulled into the housing development I lived in.

I turned to look at Sora who was looking forward with no real expression on his face. "You sure aren't shy to say anything, are you?" I smiled looking forward.

"Nah," I could see the sides of his lips move up on his face. "Being outgoing will get you much further in life. You can't be scared to tell the truth really. If you don't, you may miss out on something great. You know?" We stopped in front of my house.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I turned to face him. "You're like a philosopher or something."

Sora laughed. "I just don't want to take anything for granite. Life is too short for that. My parents always told me that. I just never believed them until it was too late."

"Well, I'm sure they'd be way proud of you, Sora, really." I said putting my hand on his.

"Thank you." He smiled shyly, which was a first. Sora leaned forward and kissed my cheek lightly. "Hope to talk to you soon."

I was completely caught off guard but I was not minding this at all. "Yeah, same here." I said opening the car door. "Thank you for the ride. Bye, Sora."

"Bye Kairi." I got out of the car and closed the door. Sora waited until I was safely inside my house before driving away.

"You look happy." I looked down the hall to see Yuffie walking my way putting in an earring.

"Where are you going?" I asked noticing her outfit. She was wearing a silky, loose, red tank top with a short, black jean skirt and black heals.

"You mean _we_." She said taking my hand. "We need to go get you a nice outfit because you're coming with Leon and me to a party. Plus, mom and dad said they wanted a night to themselves." I shivered at that thought.

"But, I don't _want _to."

"Well, that's too damn bad little sister." Yuffie dragged me into her room and gave me a mini make over. I was wearing a short silk skirt and a blue, low cut shirt. I was very self conscience in this new outfit, I'm normally not caught dead in anything near this fashion.

Leon came over about an hour later to pick up my sister and me. I stared out the dark tinted windows as we drove across town to the party destination. By the time we made it, the party was already way into action. The three of us got out of Leon's car and walked toward the busy house. Once I was inside, I felt like I had gone deaf. The music was overly loud. I turned to ask Yuffie when we were going to leave when I noticed her and Leon were already gone.

"Well, this blows." I sighed and walked forward into the crowd. This wasn't right of Yuffie to drag me to a party with people I didn't know. They all looked so much older than me too. "Oh, I'm going to kill her when I find her."

"Find who?" A voice said behind me. I turned around to see the boy from the yearbook and concert.

"Oh, um," Why was I so nervous? "My sister just left me here."

"Well, that isn't very nice." He smiled. God, that smile was so charming. He extended his hand forward. "Seifer." (**A/N**: dun dun dun, did you guess it right?)

"Kairi." I put my hand in his when he brought it close to him and kissed it.

"It's nice to meet you." Seifer smiled again.

"Nice to meet you too." I smiled back.

"Want to go upstairs to the balcony to get away from the noise? I promise that I won't try to get in your pants or anything." He assured me.

"Well, that's a good thing." I laughed as I followed him up the stairs. He held my hand on the way up and I couldn't help but notice a lot of people staring. We walked into one of the bedrooms and out onto the balcony. Seifer and I leaned against the railing and just studied everything from a safe distance.

"It sure is great out tonight." He said looking up.

"Yeah, it really is nice out." I replied. I noticed his green eyes look my way.

"So, I remember seeing you a while ago." I knew exactly what he was referring to. "And it has to be fate that we met up again tonight."

"Must be."

"And you seem like a pretty down to earth kind of girl." Seifer turned to face me. "You're someone I want to get to know."

"You actually want to get to know me?" I asked surprised. Wow, this was great. The two boys I've kept in mind the last month have both met up with me the same day and both have wanted to get to know me. Tonight must be my lucky night. "Well, I want to get to know you too."

Seifer sat down on one of the long lawn chairs and patted next to him. I walked over and sat right next to him. "Well, let's get to know each other then."

**A/N**: Sorry I didn't update sooner. My charger for my laptop broke a while ago but now all is well. For all you Dear Diary 2 fans, it's finished (if you haven't read it yet). Anyway, can't wait to hear what you have to say!


	5. Shadow Of The Day

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 5**- Shadow Of The Day

"What do you want to know about me?" I asked studying the face of the captivating stranger, named Seifer.

"Anything you're willing to share." He smiled softly.

I smiled with a small laugh looking down at my hands. "Well, it is helpful with questions you ask me. And how about, you ask a question and we both answer, then I'll do the same."

"Sounds fair," He agreed. "Okay, first question; how old are you?"

"I just turned 18 on the twenty fifth of September. You?"

"I'm 19 and I'll be 20 in March."

"So do you still live with your parents or do you live by yourself?"

"I live in a fairly large house that's owned by my dad and my step mom with a guest house which I'm living in but I'm planning to move out soon with a buddy of mine." I nodded in interest.

"I'm obviously living with my dad and mom still. I'm not sure when I'll move out, maybe not until after my first year of college." I explained. He smiled at me.

"Good plan." Seifer said. "You seeing anyone?"

"Nope." I shook my head.

"Me either. I just broke up with my girlfriend."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." I frowned. "You seem like a pretty good guy, from what I've seen so far, so I'm sure you'll find someone."

"Yeah, I hope." He nodded with a smile before looking down. Seifer looked shy in a cute way which was completely attractive. I stood up and stretched. His eyes watched me as I leaned against the balcony. "So how'd you end up here?"

"My sister dragged me here." I turned and leaned my back against the railing to get a better look at him. "I didn't want to go though."

Seifer stood up and leaned the opposite way just half a foot away from me and smiled. "You glad you did?"

A smile appeared on my face. "For the most part." That's when he did it, something I never really saw coming but in a way, hoping for. Seifer leaned into me and kissed me so gently I wasn't sure if it was real. It was a quick one but a meaningful one.

"So?" He laughed.

"Okay, you changed my mind completely. It's one of the best decisions so far." I grinned. He slid his hand around my neck so his palm was flat against my neck, his thumb by my ear, and his fingers sprawled around the back of my hairline and through it. His other hand found its way to my lower back. He pulled me tight against his body. I don't know what about that position made me feel weak at the knees but it was quickly addictive. We both went into a deep passionate kiss.

--

"You did not!" Namine looked at me wide eyed as I told her all about what happened last night at the party.

"I did." I nodded sitting on her bed.

"You didn't go all the way, did you?" She had a very skeptical look.

"Namine!" I laughed. "No way! I just _met _him. We only made out and then he got a phone call and had to leave. He said he'd call me sometime this week."

"Just checking." She shrugged and sat down next to me leaning into her pillows. Her fingers were spread out on her stomach while she looked to see where a new life was forming. I put my hand on hers.

"Your parents still don't know about this baby, do they?" I asked. Her blonde hair moved side to side to answer no. "Have you decided when you're going to tell Clay?" I asked staring at her stomach and our hands. "Or even at least decided how you're going to?"

"I was thinking maybe telling him next week or something." Namine looked up and sucked in a lot of air. My eyes watched her carefully as she let it out very slowly. "Will you come with me to tell him?"

"Of course. You really don't have to ask me twice." I smiled as I leaned in to hug her.

Namine whispered, "Thank you, Kairi."

"That's what best friends are for, Namine." I said rubbing her arm .

Her bedroom door opened to reveal Riku with a paper bag. He set it down on the edge of her bed and pulled out three small ice cream containers. "Here is your request." Riku said handing Namine a strawberry ice cream container. He handed me a chocolate one and he took the vanilla.

I got up from the bed. "I'll go get us spoons." I said walking out of the bedroom as Riku took my spot. I watched the pictures on the wall as I headed down the stairs. Most of them were of Namine and her parents. They were such a happy little family, I could only imagine their reaction to find out their little baby girl was pregnant with an older guy's child.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the utensil drawer. I pulled out three silver spoons and headed out toward the stairs.

"Oh, Kairi, it's so nice to see you." Namine's dad, Mr. Takumi, walked in from the front door. I smiled at the tall, blond haired man.

"Hello, sir." I nodded. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good. How about you?" He asked politely as he walked into the kitchen.

"Just fine." I replied as I headed up the stairs.

"Hey, Kairi?" Mr. Takumi said causing me to stop mid track. I turned to look down at him.

"Yeah?"

"Could you tell Namine that her mother and me made her a doctors appointment at the end of this week. She's been sick an awfully long time now." He said to me. I slowly swallowed the lump that grew in my throat.

"Yeah, of course." I said quietly as I continued up the stairs. Riku and Namine were waiting patiently for me in her room. I handed each of them a spoon before we began to eat our late afternoon dessert. I watched Namine eat her frozen treat happily. She didn't notice right away that I was looking at her, but when she did, she stopped eating.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked sitting up.

"Your parents made you a doctors appointment this week." I announced to her. Riku, who didn't even quite know what was going on yet, stopped digging into his ice cream and looked up. Namine's blue eyes widened from shock.

"Bu-but, what!" Namine exclaimed. "They'll find out I'm pre-." I quickly leapt forward and covered Namine's mouth with my hand.

I leaned in and whispered, "Namine, shh. Your dad is downstairs." I slowly removed my hand from her mouth.

"What am I going to do?" Her voice began to quiver. Riku put his arm around her before pulling her into a hug. I heard Namine begin to cry into his shoulder. I moved our ice creams onto her side table and leaned in to hug them both.

--

"Kairi!" My mother's voice rang up the stairs a few days later. "The Takumi's and Riku are here!"

"Coming!" I yelled back. Namine was able to talk her parents into letting Riku and I go with her to her doctors appointment incase things went bad. I grabbed my purse and ran down the stairs. I kissed my mom on the cheek before stepping outside to meet up with Namine and her parents, along with Riku. They were in the car waiting for me.

"Hello, Kairi." Namine's mother, who looked almost identical to her daughter, smiled at me as I climbed into the back seat with Namine and Riku.

"Hi." I waved before buckling in my seatbelt. Mr. Takumi began down the street as we headed to the doctor's office. I glanced at Namine who was sitting in between Riku and me. Her eyes were frozen to the road ahead as she gripped onto Riku and me with each hand. I felt so bad and scared for my best friend. Her breaths were staggered as she breathed in and out slowly. I knew she was trying to avoid crying.

The drive was silent between the three of us in the backseat. Every now and then, I'd see Riku look at us or I'd look at them. After fifteen minutes had passed, we arrived at a small building with a few cars in the parking lot. We all climbed out and walked into the waiting room where Namine's dad checked his daughter in.

Riku, Namine, and me sat together in the middle of the room and stared at the door that led into the back room. It wasn't long -which was unmoral but just our luck- before the doctor called Namine in. She looked back at us sadly before following him into the back. I glanced over to where her parents were sitting. They were both off in their own little worlds, reading magazines, completely unaware of the news that was about to hit them.

Riku and I watched some kids play in the corner with toys the office provided. I tried to picture a little Clay or little Namine playing happily with them, but it was slightly difficult. It was really hard not to think or worry as the time ticked away on the wall. Riku had eventually fallen asleep on my shoulder while I tried to think of how our lives would change. About an hour had passed when Namine's doctor walked out with his clipboard. I quickly nudged Riku to wake him up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Takumi?" He said reading names off of the paper. Namine's parents stood up and my stomach dropped. "Would you please follow me."

"Can we come?" Riku said standing up. I followed his lead. The doctor was about to speak but Mrs. Takumi interrupted.

"They're like Namine's siblings." She insisted. The doctor nodded and the four of us walked into the back. Everything was so white as we walked into the backroom where Namine was waiting for us. She had a mini pile of crumpled Kleenex next to her as she cried softly into her hands. Riku and I walked up and stood next to her as her parents took the two seats available.

"So what's the news?" Mr. Takumi asked. Namine began to cry harder. Riku and I tried our best to calm her down some. Everyone was looking at her now. The doctor cleared his throat to get our attention.

"There is a very serious reason your daughter has been sick lately." He said. The doctor even seemed nervous about this whole situation. I looked over at Namine's parents who seemed slightly worried. "You see, you're daughter is five weeks pregnant."

_Silence_. It hit the room like a brick wall. Namine's crying became worse when she seemed to notice. My heart was pounding hard in my chest. Time suddenly felt slower to me as I looked up to see the Takumi's expressions.

"I'll leave you to talk." I heard the doctor say before leaving us.

"Oh. My. God." Mrs. Takumi mouthed in bewilderment. She began to weep into her hands as well while Mr. Takumi's eyes suddenly hardened. He looked over at Namine.

"Who did this to you?" He asked in a slightly deathly tone. Mr. Takumi was strict but never the violent or mean kind of guy. His reaction, though, scared me. Namine didn't answer or look up at her father. "Answer me, Namine."

"This guy I met about two months ago." She cried looking up. Her eyes were bright red and puffy.

"Who is he?"

"Clay Michaels." Namine whispered.

"Does he go to school with you?" Her dad shot angrily. This made Namine and I jump. She quickly shook her head. "Then where does he go to school? How did you two meet?"

"He works at the movie theater. He's twenty." The silence lingered some more. I was beginning to feel sick to my stomach and I could only imagine what Namine was feeling.

"Does he know?" Her mother finally spoke up.

"Not yet." Namine sniffled. "I was planning on telling him next week. Kairi was going to help me do it."

"Bring him over. We'll tell him together." Mrs. Takumi took in a deep breath. The doctor came back into the room. He examined the Takumi's.

"So we have a few options." The doctor said placing his clipboard on the counter and crossed his arms. "Namine can follow through with the pregnancy and keep it. She can have it and give it up for adoption. The last option is to abort it."

"I want to keep it." Namine spoke up clearly as she looked at the doctor. "It was my fault for getting into this. It's not the baby's fault. I want to take full responsibility." I was surprised but not at the same time. I knew Namine wanted to keep it but I didn't think she's be so strong to admit it to her parents. I looked over at Riku who was half smiling.

"Let's go home and talk about it." Mr. Takumi said standing up. "Thank you doctor."

"Of course." He nodded and let us out the door. The five of us walked outside.

"Riku, Kairi," Mrs. Takumi said looking at us. "Would it be okay if you found another ride home? We would really love to talk to our daughter in private."

"Yeah, we can find a ride." Riku answered. She smiled and hugged us both before getting into the car. Namine glanced at us nervously as she climbed into the back seat. Riku and I watched the car drive out of the parking lot and down the road.

"So what do you think?" I asked once the family disappeared. Riku and I began to walk down the sidewalk.

"It was nerve wrecking." Riku answered. "I was scared to see what Namine's dad was going to do."

"I hope everything turns out okay." Riku nodded. After a couple blocks, we headed into Midnight Sun Café. We sat down at a table and decided what we wanted to order.

"Welcome to Midnight Sun Café." The girl that stood before us was the same one I remembered from the first week of school. Tifa had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and smiled cheerfully at us. "What can I get you two today?"

"I would like a protein shake." Riku said sliding the menu into the center of the table. I glanced at the drinks.

"A Shirley Temple, please." I smiled handing her our menus together.

"They'll be right out." Tifa walked away.

"You and your protein shakes." I said shaking my head at Riku.

"Hello," He said matter-of-factly, "Star track runner right in front of you." I laughed and shook my head.

"Yes, yes, yes," I said leaning back. "I know that." A couple minutes had passed before the brunette brought out our drinks. Riku and I started to talk about the upcoming mile we had to run at school for P.E. Of course Riku was perfectly fine with it but I was dreading it. I hated running. The doorbells jingled merrily as someone entered the café.

"Sora!" A girls voice cheered happily. I looked over to see the other girl who worked here, Rikku, wave at Sora.

"What's up Rikku?" He smiled. Sora leaned against the glass counter that held the sweets inside.

"Nothing. Just working." Rikku laughed. The blonde seemed really bubbly. I smiled knowing we needed more happy people in the world.

"Sounds like fun." Sora said staring at the desserts under him.

"It's always fun working here!" Sora shook his head laughing. Tifa came from the kitchen with a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The sweet smell lingered their way over to our table within seconds. It quickly made my mouth water.

"Oh, Sora!" Tifa smiled as she set the tray down in front of them. Sora reached over and took a cookie before biting into it.

"Mmm, these are delicious!" He declared.

Tifa laughed. "Thank you. So how's Aeris?"

"My aunt's doing just fine." Sora nodded as he finished off his cookie.

"You should tell her to stop in sometime." The young brunet nodded.

"Of course." Sora smiled.

"Kairi... you know, it's rude to stare." Riku's hand was waving in front of my face. I quickly snapped out of it and looked at my best friend.

"Oops." I laughed nervously.

Riku looked over at Sora. "Hey, isn't that the kid that plays in that band..."

"Silent Existence." I finished for him. "Yeah, it is."

"Right." Riku nodded. Sora looked around the café and spotted us. He waved enthusiastically and headed over to where Riku and I were seated. Sora pulled up a seat from a neighboring table and sat down.

"Hey, Kairi." He smiled.

"Hi, Sora." I felt myself blush. "This is my best friend, Riku." I said directing my hand across the table.

"Hey." Riku nodded.

"Hey, nice to meet you." Sora nodded as well. "So what are you guys up to today?"

"Well, currently we're just sitting here having something to drink while we figure out how to get home." I told him.

"I can give you guys a ride home if you want." Sora said pulling his keys out of his pocket. I glanced over at Riku.

Riku looked at me. "You can go with him. I'm going to take my daily run." He glanced at Sora, "You be careful with her."

"Definitely." Sora smiled causing Riku to as well. I got up with Sora. He held the door open and even opened the car door for me.

"What a gentleman." I laughed as he climbed into the drivers seat of his car. He grinned.

"Eh, what can I say." He shrugged with a smirk. We headed down to the suburb where I lived. "So I finally met your two best friends. Riku really seems protective over you."

I nodded. "We grew up together so he can act like a big brother sometimes."

"Never a bad thing to have someone like that in your life." Sora said staring straight ahead. "So, how's Namine doing?"

I was hesitant to answer this but it was already out in the open with her parents. "Pregnant." Sora seemed stunned by this.

"Woah, woah, woah!" He said as we slowed down at a stop light. "When did this happen?" I began to explain the situation from start to finish. He seemed surprised by this. "She really doesn't look the type."

"That is," I sighed. "She isn't the type to get herself into something like this."

Sora looked at me as we pulled in front of my house. "She's lucky to have a best friend like you."

"Such a charmer, Sora!" I laughed looking at him. He smiled at me with a small laugh.

"Hey, would you want to do something this weekend?" Sora asked as he parked.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe we can go to the park or something." He suggested.

I nodded. "Sure," A smile crept onto my face. "That sounds like a fun plan." He smiled and got out of the car. Sora sprinted to my side and opened the car door. He walked me all the way up to my front door. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you at Common Park, Saturday, about noon?"

"Yes, you will." I smiled, placing my hand on the doorknob. Sora nodded and walked down the sidewalk to his car as I let myself into the house. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.

So many things all at once. Namine's secret was officially out in the open and I was caught in between two amazingly wonderful guys. I was moving nice and slow with Sora, like I would with any normal guy. He was by far the sweetest and most gentleman like out of all the guys I know. I was on the fast track with Seifer which was slightly more exciting. I shook my head in despite of myself.

"Kairi?" My mom walked into the living room from the kitchen. "How's Namine?"

"I'll explain everything in a little bit." I sighed standing upright.

"Well, you can tell us at dinner. You sister says she has some exciting news to tell us. Leon's here for dinner as well." My mom smiled. I didn't even realize Leon's car was out front when I arrived home. I knew exactly what news my sister had in mind and I knew for a fact that my parents were about to be thrown for a loop themselves.

"Come on Kairi!" My dad called from the kitchen. "It's dinner time!" I tossed my purse onto my dad's lazy chair, along with my jacket.

"I'm coming!" I called back to him. I took in a deep breath and headed for the upcoming war zone.

**A/N**: So I was actually planning on waiting to update this story until Dear Diary 3: Unwritten was completely finished but I was rereading this story the other night and became addicted. I'm still planning on waiting to finish this story until DD3 is done but I was already half way done with this chapter, so I decided to finish it. Hope you all liked it! Sorry for the future wait!


	6. Same Mistake

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 6**- Same Mistake

I walked into the kitchen where my dad was seated at the head of the table with my mom next to him, Yuffie in front of her, and Leon next to my sister. I took my place next to my mom and stared at the mouth watering feast my mother had prepared.

My mom had a very pleasant look to her face as she looked over at my sister. "So what is your big news, dear?"

"Don't you want to finish eating dinner first?" Yuffie asked hesitantly as she moved her raven hair out of her face.

"Oh, come on Yuff," my dad smiled eagerly. "It was your idea to announce your news." My sister looked over at me with a nervous laugh. I watched her struggle to find the best wording so not to cause an uproar.

"Well..." she began. Leon looked at her then at my parents.

"We just rented out an apartment." He said for her. My stomach dropped. My parents happy expressions faded within a second. They stared at my sister and her boyfriend in shock. This was slightly awkward...

"Excuse me?" My dad said.

"Um, sir." Leon said slightly nervously. "Yuffie and I have been planning on this for a while now. We really would love to live together. I promise, Mr. Hikari, I'll take very good care of your daughter."

"Oh, I have no doubt that you will Leon." My dad stared at the 19- year-old brunet. My mom nodded in agreement. They both looked at Yuffie. "Our concern is our daughter. Yuffie, you aren't even working. How do you really think you can manage to live out on your own?"

"Dad!" Yuffie exclaimed. "I'm nineteen! I'm looking for a job and I have a couple interviews this week. Plus, I'm not going to be living alone I'm going to be living with Leon."

"Still Yuffie," my mom finally decided to intercept the conversation. "We don't think you're ready. I think you two should wait."

"Mom!" My sister stood up abruptly from her chair, sending it back a few inches. "You're not being fair!"

"Yuffie!" My dad said loudly. "Calm down and don't yell at your mother!"

"You guys aren't even trying to listen to anything I'm saying! I'm ready to leave here! You two raised me well! I can manage!" She sighed heavily. "I did so good in school and you two have always been so proud of me! I did that all for you! You could at least let me do what I want for a change!" Oh, one point for Yuffie there. This was getting interesting.

"Stop arguing or go to your room." My dad said quietly. Yuffie let out a very aggravated sigh and stormed up to her bedroom.

"I can go talk to her if you want." I said starting to scoot back.

"Eat your dinner Kairi." My mom whispered. Of course I was going to obey my parents, I didn't want to put myself in a position I would never want to be in the first place. I looked around the table to see everyone slowly working food into their mouths. So the battle wasn't as intense as I thought it would be but I knew it wasn't over quiet yet either.

---

I was sitting in my bedroom late Saturday morning looking over some notes we had taken in history. My sisters battle with my parents was never fully accomplished and I could tell she was not happy with them yet. Namine and her parents finally settled down about the new baby. Clay is supposed to be going there for dinner tonight so they can break the news to him. I was quickly broken from my thoughts when my cell phone rang.

I stared at the number and was surprised. "Hello?"

"Hey there." Seifer said from the other line. "You're home, right?"

"Yes..." I said closing my history binder. "Why?"

"Come outside." He hung up the phone. I stuffed it into my pocket and ran down the stairs. Once I opened the front door, I noticed a red sports car sitting in front of the sidewalk. The tinted passenger side window rolled down. I walked over to see Seifer's smiling face.

"Hey," I tilted my head with a small smile. "How did you know where I lived?"

"I have my connections." He winked. "Nah, I have a friend who knows Clay Michaels and he found out from his girlfriend who is supposedly you're best friend."

"Oh, wow." I laughed. "Interesting."

"So you got anything planned?" Seifer asked unlocking his car door.

"Not that I can think of." I opened the passenger side and climbed in. "So where are we going?" I buckled up my seatbelt and looked at my house. My parents decided to go on a little weekend getaway at some resort in town to get pampered. Who knew where Yuffie was.

"Let's go to one of my friend's house. I want them to meet you." Seifer took off down the street and I watched the scenery pass me by quicker than normal. I was surprised that Seifer wanted me to meet his friends, this was only the second time we really met up.

We arrived at a rather large house across town about half an hour later. There were quite a few cars parked down the street but nothing compared to party houses. Seifer walked me up the sidewalk and into the house. I immediately struggled to breath with all the smoke dwelling around the room. All the kids there seemed a little older than me, maybe just a couple year graduates like Seifer. Some were standing around mingling and listening to the music while others were playing beer pong or smoking. I stared at this scene wondering what to make of it.

"Come on." Seifer said taking me by the hand and leading me up the stairs. I watched everyone carefully and wondered why I even came. When we arrived to the second story, the ambitious blond pulled me into a room where there were about five others.

A tall, muscular, black haired boy was talking to the same girl I saw with Seifer the first time we met. He looked over at us and walked over. "Took you long enough, ya know?"

Seifer put one of his hands up and pushed me forward with the other. "Chill, Raijin. I went to get the best looking girl in Riverside."

"Watch it." The girl with light purple hair, that could pass as a teen beauty queen- minus the hair color- said. Seifer smiled and tilted his head at this natural beauty.

"Relax Fujin. We all know you won Miss Riverside in high school." He said. The girl showed very little sign of pleasant emotion when he mentioned this. I just knew she was pretty enough for one of those pageants. She had to have a different hair color to enter though, right? I must have been staring without realizing it. Fujin looked up at me with a small glare.

"What?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Oh, nothing." I felt awkward so I looked back up at Seifer.

"Anyway," Seifer put his around me and I felt flustered. "This is Kairi. She's still in high school."

"Dating her?" Fujin asked leaning back into a chair and pulled out a cigarette from her pocket. I stared at her as she lit it up. I never honestly would have guessed she was the smoker type. She stuck the cigarette in her mouth and took in a deep breath.

"Not yet," Seifer said leaning forward and pulling me closer with both hands. "Maybe soon though." I turned around and looked at him surprised.

"Really?" My eyes widened as I looked up into his.

"If you want to." He kissed my forehead. Wow. Seriously, this never would have happened to me. I wasn't sure what was even really happening. This wasn't me at all either though.

"Y-yeah." I nodded. "Let's get to know each other a little better first though." There. That was definitely more like me. He nodded and walked over to Fujin. She handed him the cigarette and took a long drag. I did not know that about him either. "You smoke?"

Seifer looked at me through a thin haze. He handed the little addiction back to the beauty queen. "Occasionally, but if it bothers you, then I won't do it around you."

"That would be nice." I smiled. Seifer let the smoke slowly escape his lips as he watched me. I glanced over at the door to see someone walking by. He looked inside the room and stopped when he saw me.

"Kairi?" Riku asked surprised. He was dressed in a black sweater and jeans. I was shocked to see him too.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he walked in the room and came up to us. I saw him glance at Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin.

He took his time to look at them while he spoke before looking back at me. "A few of the guys from track are here and they asked me to stop by. Now you tell me why you're here."

I glanced back at the new crowd I found myself getting pulled into. I reached for Seifer's hand and pulled him next to me. "Riku, this is Seifer. Seifer, this is my best friend, Riku." Riku reached his hand out and shook his hand once.

"Nice to meet you." Seifer said. Riku nodded once in agreement.

"Hey Kairi, can I talk to you?" Riku asked pulling me off into the hall. He let go of my wrist and bent down to get closer to me. "Kairi,_please_do not tell me you're seeing that guy."

"Why?" I was surprised by this. "Do you know him or something?"

"No, I don't know him. You know how I tend to get these vibes about people." I nodded. "Well, he's really giving me a bad vibe."

I crossed my arms and looked up at him. "How so?"

"I don't know," Riku lifted his hand and directed it to the room. "I mean, come on, look who he hangs out with. I saw the smoke leaving his mouth when I walked by. I see that he smokes. Kairi, you always told me, you were against smoking, drinking, and drugs, so why are you getting so caught up into this situation. Don't tell me you like him."

"I know..." I sighed and didn't look my best friend in the eye. "I don't know what it is about him but he's really pulling me in. I know his "type" is against my morals and all but, it's kind of exciting. I'm tired of living the _perfect_life everyone seems to think I have. Seifer is something different, something completely out of the norm."

"Do you hear yourself?" Riku asked. I slowly looked at him. "You're going to get hurt. You're going to regret it. Please, just think it through?"

"Riku, I want to get to know him, definitely. I'm not quite ready to date a stranger. Please, just be supportive?"

He sighed and I knew he wasn't too happy with this. "Fine. I swear to god though, if he hurts you or touches you in anyway, I'll kill him. You can warn him about that too."

"Well thank you." I said hugging him even though I wasn't going to tell Seifer what Riku said. There was no way I wanted any awkwardness. Riku waved goodbye and walked down the hall while I went back into the room. Seifer and Raijin were talking when they noticed me walk in.

"Hey, what was that about?" Seifer asked.

"He was just talking to me about some stuff about our friend." I thought quickly. I knew he wasn't dumb and knew I wasn't telling the truth but he just ignored it.

Seifer stood closer to me. "Let's get to know each other better so we can get a move on with a relationship soon."

"Um, okay." Seifer and I waved goodbye to his friends and went for a small drive. We ended up at a park that was hardly occupied. We sat in silence for a little while listening to the low rumble of some music and watched kids playing on the jungle gym. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"How about you tell me all about you and I'll tell you all about me." Seifer suggested turning to face me. He put his hand on my leg. I looked down at it then back at him.

"Well let's see," I thought through my memories. "I've lived here my whole life. Riku and me grew up next door together until his dad had a heart attack and died when we were in middle school. Him and his mom couldn't handle the rent anymore so they moved across town but it didn't stop our friendship. We met Namine, Clay Michaels girlfriend, in middle school and she became our other best friend. It's always been my parents, my sister, and me. We're a pretty close family. Everyone assumes I'm a goodie goodie, which I kind of give off right away."

"That is true." Seifer laughed and I smiled.

"My mom's an elementary school teacher and my dad's a lawyer."

"Wait," he interrupted me again. "Is your dad Michael Hikari?"

"Yeah..."

"He dealt with my parents divorce a few years ago."

"Wow," I was surprised. "Small world."

"Yeah, it really is. Sorry, continue."

"I go to high school at Douglas High with all A's and B's so far. I graduate in June. Well, my sister was really popular back in high school but she totally isn't what she seems to be. Her and her boyfriend have been together for over a year but have been friends since early high school. Yeah... that's about it really. I have a pretty boring life."

"That doesn't sound boring." He smiled.

"Yeah right. If you lived my life you'd find it very boring."

"I'd rather have your life than mine."

"Tell me about it." I said sitting back.

"Okay, I grew up here too. My mom and dad met back in high school but I don't know what happened to their relationship. My mom got into hard core drugs and was really violent for all my life. Her and my dad fought both verbally and physically for a long time. In my junior year at Douglas, my parents finally decided to divorce and that's where your dad comes in. My mom left with a couple thousand without custody of me because she wasn't a fit mother. After I graduated, my dad remarried to my current step mom. He loves her so much but I think she's just in for the money. We don't get a long and my dad is really angry with me for always getting on her case." He shrugged.

"Wow, your life seems pretty complicated." I frowned. Seifer leaned forward and hugged me. I wrapped my arms back around him.

"As long as you're in it, I think I could turn it around." He pulled back and kissed me. I caught myself falling into it. He wasn't the type I normally would go for. I wasn't the type of girl to put myself in such an awkward position but he did something to me and I was immediately ready to fall for him. I was ready to fall for this stranger- to be his savior.

---

It was five o'clock and I was back to studying in my bedroom. Seifer had dropped me of just a few minutes ago. We decided to have a few more times hanging out before we let ourselves create a new relationship. He completely made me feel different and I loved it. I was off daydreaming about that kiss when my cell phone rang.

"Hey Namine." I smiled answering it.

"Hey," She replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good." I closed my book and leaned back into my bed. "How did the dinner go with Clay?"

Namine took a big breath in. "Well, he was very, very surprised. My parents told him that he better take care of our baby or they'll charge him for stachatory rape."

"Oh wow. What did Clay say?"

"He said he'd take full responsibility of his baby. He's even going to get a second job." I could hear a little happiness in her voice as she announced this to me.

"Well that's a good thing." I smiled.

"So how was your day with Sora?" Namine asked. I sat up.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Weren't you supposed to hang out with Sora at Common Park at noon today?"

"Oh, my god." My mouth dropped open. "I completely forgot! Namine, I'll call you back later." I hung up the phone and searched frantically through my list of numbers. I then realized we never exchanged phone numbers. My mind tried to come up with how I could find Sora. That's when I realized what I could do.

I grabbed my bag and hopped into my car. As I drove passed Common Park, I felt a pang of guilt for forgetting about Sora. Even though I was getting a thrill of being with Seifer, I couldn't deny the small feelings I had for Sora, the complete charmer. I ended up at Midnight Sun Café a little while later. I ran inside to find a number of people enjoying their coffee or desserts. Tifa saw me from behind the counter, so I walked forward.

"Hello," She smiled. "How can I help you?"

"Do you know where I can find Sora?" I asked.

"Did someone say my name?" Sora's voice asked from behind me. I turned to see Sora sitting with his guitar at a nearby table. He was drinking some ice drink and had a notepad and pen sitting in front of him.

I walked forward and sat opposite from him. "Sora, I'm so sorry!"

He had a soft smile on his face as he strummed a couple cords on his acoustic guitar. "It's okay, I'm used to getting stood up by girls."

This only made me feel worse. "Sora..."

Sora laughed. "I'm just kidding. You're the first actually. I'm sure you had something better to do though. Don't worry about it."

"I completely forgot," I sighed and looked at him guiltily. That was true but I had to think of an excuse on why I never showed. I know I never lied but there was no way I could tell him that I ditched him to be with another guy. I was about to tell him that I was with Namine.

Sora began to play some cords and hum before singing what he wrote down on his paper.

_What you see isn't what you get_

_I am not what they say I am_

_My path is not yet set_

_I am more than what I seem_

_I'm the kind of guy you want your parents to meet_

_I'm the one who you can trust_

_I will be the one to love you _

_I'm the kind of guy who won't give in for lust_

_Just give me a shot_

_I promise I won't let you fall_

"Hum..." He said as he placed his hands on the strings to stop the music.

"Wow, that was really good." I said admiring his talent. "Did you write that?"

"Yeah, but I'm still messing with it." Sora stared at his paper. I still felt bad for just leaving him.

"Sora?" I said quietly. He looked up. "Would you want to hang out with me tomorrow?"

"Will you forget about me again?" He asked with a small smile. I laughed a little.

I shook my head. "No, I promise I won't."

"I would," Sora smiled and set his guitar aside. "But every Sunday Silent Existence practices. I'll get back to you on it though. Sound okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." I said. The bells rang on the door as the rest of the band walked in. Sora waved them over.

"Hey," Sora said pointing to the guys and me. "This is Kairi. Kairi, this is Roxas, Hayner, and Pence."

"Hey." They said simultaneously.

"Nice to meet you all." I waved. I stood up and looked back at Sora. "Well, I better get going. I'm sorry again Sora."

"It's okay." He nodded.

"Oh, wait." I bent down and took the pen from him. I scribbled down my number at the top of the notepad. "Call me anytime."

Sora smiled sweetly. "Bye, Kairi."

"Bye, Sora." I replied before walking out of the café.

**A/N**: Aw, Sora's always so understanding. Geez, what a sweetheart. Now you guys are starting to see patterns in every ones lives that should reflect later on in the story (ie. Seifer's mom being abusive). Oh, just so you guys all know, the songs mentioned in here are all my own. The one mentioned in this chapter isn't that great because I just wrote what came to mind. My favorite song will come up later in the story. Anywho review time!

**A/N prt2**: I don't know when I'll be able to update. I've been super stressed out lately with school but I do have plenty of ideas ahead for this story so don't worry, it shouldn't be too long. Another thing is that my boyfriend is leaving for Marines boot camp on March 11th so I'm very emo about that because he won't officially be home until the end of August (I'll see him in June for a day or two for his graduation but that'll be it until he comes home). Anyway, hope you like everything so far!


	7. Changes

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 7**- Changes

It had been a couple of weeks since I forgot about hanging out with Sora. He never called and I hadn't seen him. Yuffie and my parents finally had a civil talk about Yuffie's plans to move out. They agreed upon having a roommate, some guy Yuffie knew named Vincent, to help with rent since Yuffie only got a minimum wage job at a local clothing store.

I had been hanging out with Seifer more and talked to him about every night since I went to that mini party with him. We were able to learn more about each other. He constantly showered me with compliments.

Riku, Namine, and I were in my bedroom doing some studying, but mainly talking. It was Monday after school and we were already very bored.

Namine put her English book down on my bed. "This is so extremely boring."

"I'm with you on this one." Riku sighed looking down at his history notes.

"So what do you two want to do?" I asked as I leaned into my pillows. Before either could answer my cell phone rang. Riku grabbed it before I could. He stared at it.

"I don't know who this is." He handed it to me.

"Thank you." I said with slight sarcasm. I looked down and didn't recognize it either. I figured I should answer it before it stopped ringing in case they decided not to leave me a message. "Hello?"

"Kairi?" A familiar but not face recognizable voice said.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, it's Sora." I could instantly tell he was smiling which caused me to as well.

"Hey Sora!" I said happily. Riku and Namine were trying to listen carefully once they heard it was Sora. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine. How about you?"

"Pretty good." I sat up.

"Hey, so did you still want to hang out?"

"Of course. I still feel bad for leaving you last time."

Sora laughed. "Well you want to hang out now?"

I looked at my best friends who had no idea what was going on. "Well I'm actually with Riku and Namine right now."

"Bring them along. I'm actually with the rest of the band too." Sora said.

"Alright," I smiled. "Where are we meeting you?"

"Midnight Sun Café." He answered.

"Okay, see you in a bit." We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

"So what are we doing?" Namine asked.

I stood up and stretched. "We're going to meet Sora and the rest of Silent Existence at Midnight Sun."

"Finally, something better to do." Riku said standing up.

Riku, Namine, and I headed into town to Midnight Sun Café where we would meet up with the band. The atmosphere was relieving. Late October always felt nice outside. (**A/N**: Yeah, I know, it's already October and I didn't even realize it!) Silent Existence's music immediately entered my ears once we walked inside the building. A few people were enjoying their time listening to the locals favorite teenage band practice for an upcoming concert. My friends and I found a table while the blonde haired Rikku took our orders.

We kept interested in the four boys from Centennial. After practicing two more songs, they set their instruments aside and joined us.

"Hey!" Sora waved enthusiastically. "You actually came."

"Haha," I replied with a smile as the boys scooted a nearby table against ours. "You're going to hold it against me forever, huh?"

"Maybe." He winked. Sora and I introduced our friends to everyone else.

"Roxas," Sora patted his fellow band mates shoulder and pointed next to me.

"This is Namine." I continued pointing to my best friend. She smiled politely and I don't know if it was just me, but Roxas seemed suddenly very pleased. I smiled.

"Nice to meet you." The honey blond haired boy smiled.

"Same with you." Namine nodded happily.

"So how long have you four been playing?" Riku decided to ask.

"We formed the band about a year and a half ago." Hayner, the base player, answered.

"How long have you known each other?" Namine stared at Roxas.

"Sora's and I grew up together pretty much," Roxas replied. "His aunt and my older brother, Cloud, went to high school together."

"That's cool that you two have stayed best friends of so long." My best friend smiled sweetly. I swore I could have seen Roxas blush slightly. Namine reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. I figured she was reading a text message.

"So how did you guys come up with the name?" Riku finally spoke up.

Pence beat everyone to the answer. "Well the four of us never seemed to be noticed our whole lives so the name just kind of flowed when we became a band."

"Love the name." I nodded. "It's really neat."

"Thanks." Sora smiled. He noticed that all of our drinks were getting low. "I'm going to go get us some refills."

"I'll come with you." I said getting up as he did. The two of us walked behind the counter while we left the others to talk. I watched Sora grab a pitcher from under the counter. "Uh, are we aloud to be doing this?"

Sora laughed as he began to fill it with some ice and some water. "It's fine. Tifa loves me so I have nothing to worry about."

"Okay... if you say so." I said hesitantly.

"Hey, so was it just me or did it feel like a few sparks flew when Roxas and Namine were introduced?" Sora asked.

"I thought for sure it was only me." I said staring over at our friends talking.

"He totally likes her." Sora said confidently. He had filled the pitcher up completely now. "I can tell."

"Dang, now if only Namine was single." I laughed. Of course I'd never say that to anyone else though. I liked Clay, really, it was just that something was still bothering me about the relationship.

"Poor Roxas when he finds out. He hasn't had much luck finding a girl that doesn't treat him like shit and take advantage of him." Sora frowned as we walked back to our tables. We sat back down in our chairs. I looked over at Roxas as him and Sora were talking. They seemed so much like Namine and I, it was crazy weird.

The bells on the door jingled happily letting the store know someone had entered. Once we notice Namine turn to look, the rest of us did too. The tall, light brown haired guy known as Clay had entered. He always gave the 'I'm too cool for anyone, you should all look at me' persona but now he seemed kind of low, like he didn't want to be seen by too many people. Namine waved him over eagerly. He sat in between Namine and Roxas.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend, Clay." Namine smiled happily as she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. She introduced everyone around the table but I tuned it all out as I notice Sora and me watch the expression on Roxas's face change. I couldn't help but feel bad for this boy I hardly knew.

--

"So, Roxas seems like a really cool guy. Why hasn't he had much luck with girls?" I asked Sora once we stepped outside. Not too long after Clay showed up, Namine and him left. The rest of us stayed a while longer until Riku got in his car and left. Hayner, Pence, and Roxas left too. Sora offered to take me home as long as I could stay and help him clean.

"He's not very open with people, it's just the kind of guy he is. He tries to keep very few into his personal life." Sora said as we climbed into his car. "Even though he's an introvert, he still doesn't want to be alone. So since he doesn't ever let girls get too close, he makes up for it by showering them with words and gifts. Once the girl is satisfied, she leaves him with nothing but a broken heart."

I put my hand to my mouth. "Oh, my gosh. Poor guy."

"Yeah." Sora frowned. "I hate seeing him so low. He's such an amazing person once he does let you in."

"I really hope he finds someone someday soon." I sighed.

"Trust me," he said. "We all do, too."

Sora and I sat in silence for what seemed like ages. We drove through the city as I watched the many faces we passed. As I looked at all of their expressions, it made me wonder who really just had a mask on to hide who they really were and what they were feeling.

"Life really isn't what it seems to be, huh?" I finally asked.

"Huh?" I saw Sora look at me, but I just kept looking ahead.

"We all have secrets." I saw a happy couple with their little daughter at one street corner. On the following street I saw a timid girl getting yelled at by a boy, using his arms for more expression. I frowned as we passed them. "We're all hiding something from people and if we currently aren't, we will. No one seems to be truly happy or satisfied with their lives. It's sad really. We're always achieving for more and once we get something we've been wanting to have, all we want is more. Society has brainwashed us to be selfish. We should be so thankful for what we do have instead of being envious of those who have 'better', yet no one can seem to grasp that idea."

"Woah, Kairi." Sora said astonished. "That was deep. Where did that come from?"

I shrugged and stared out the passenger side window. "I don't know. Just felt the need to say it, but you know it's true." I looked over at him.

"I couldn't agree more." He nodded. We came to a stop sign heading into the suburbs I lived in. "But I don't think everyone feels like they need more. I'm sure there are some people who are very happy with what they have."

"Oh, yeah? Like who?"

Sora sat there and pondered at the thought. I smiled thinking I beat him. "Like me."

"Oh, come on, Sora." I leaned back into the seat and lightly hit him with the back of my hand. "You can't tell me there is nothing you want more than what you already have."

"After my parents died, I felt like I always needed more to be happy. Not until recently I realized I'm so grateful to even have a family member who is always there for me. My aunt, Aerith, she's one of the best people I know. She reminds me so much of my mom. There are kids in this world who don't even have any family members; kids are sitting alone wishing anything to have a mother and a father, or even an aunt. All they want is someone to love them. I have that. I have amazing friends, I keep meeting new ones and I've never been in trouble. I live in a decent sized house, we're not suffering with money, I have clean drinking water, I have food to eat when I'm hungry. Not everyone is that lucky when you look at other countries and it's so sad. So I'm very thankful for everything. I think I'm good for now." Sora smiled. I stared at him as we pulled to the front of my house.

"Why do you always have to out smart me with your amazing words?" I smirked.

"It's just a thing I'm talented at, I suppose." He laughed.

"Yes you are." I pulled him into a hug to both his and my surprise. "Don't ever change."

"I won't." His blue eyes looked into mine as I pulled back. "I'll talk to you later."

"Of course." I nodded as I climbed out of his car. Sora waited until I was in my house before driving down the street. It was nearly five and the house was empty. I always hated coming home to silence, it always bothered me because I felt so alone. I walked up the stairs to my bedroom and laid on my soft bed just wanting to sleep. Unfortunately, homework was calling my name and I knew I had to get it done.

A few days had passed and everything was nice and smooth. Seifer and I still talked every night which was great. Sora and I even talked on the phone once. School was even treating me swell. I was in the kitchen eating some toast with Yuffie next to me reading the newspaper. My dad had already gone to work and my mom was cleaning some dishes before she left.

"Hey girls," My mom said from the kitchen sink. I looked up to see her staring out the window. "Do you know who that is?" Yuffie and I stood up and peeked outside. A dark blue sports car was parked out front with very tinted windows. Soon my phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked not even looking at who it was since I was more curious as to who was idling outside my house.

"Hey," Seifer said. "Come on, I'm going to take you to school today. I'm already outside."

"Um," I was taken aback. "Alright. Be out in a second." We hung up the phone but I continued to watch Seifer's sports car.

"You know who that is?" My mom asked drying off her hands with a kitchen towel.

"Yeah, Seifer." I nodded putting away my phone.

"Oh, that one you told us about over dinner the other night. Aw, is he taking you to school?" Yuffie smiled with a slight twist of evil.

I stared at her. "Yeah..."

"You better not keep him waiting." She said peeking out the window again. "He could actually be your first boyfriend. Get out there."

"Hey!" I said. "Riku and I dated."

"Hardly." She rolled her eyes. Yuffie walked over to where I was seated and reached for my bag before handing it to me. "Go." She put her hands on my shoulder and led me to the front door.

"Bye Kairi! Have a good day!" My mom called after me. Before I could reply, I was shoved out the door. Talk about rude. I slowly made my way down the walkway toward Seifer's car. Once I reached for the handle, I heard it unlock.

"Hey beautiful." Seifer greeted me as I got inside and buckled up.

"Hi." I smiled. He started the car and I looked out the dark windows thinking about something that had just hit me. "What are you doing here randomly?"

"I said I was going to take you to school today. I've been waiting to do it for a while."

"That's slightly stalker-ish. Don't you think?" I laughed a little.

"Hey, you got to do, what you got to do." Seifer smirked.

"You could have asked me about it." I smiled

"That would be way too easy." He winked. "I like challenges."

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing." I replied as we headed toward Douglas High.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"I just like the easier things, I suppose." I shrugged.

Seifer looked at me with a soft smile. "Well, with me, I'll make sure everything is easy then." I turned and smiled at him.

I arrived to school about ten minutes later where Seifer promised to pick me up out front after school. I walked into the commons where Riku and Namine were waiting for me.

"Wow, you seem happy." Namine smiled as I took a seat next to her at the table.

"How could you tell?" I asked innocently, trying to play it cool.

Riku, who was on the other side of Namine, raised an eyebrow as he leaned in. "Hum, what has gotten into you?"

"Seifer drove me to school. It just put me in a good mood, that's all." I smiled. Their reactions were completely opposite from each other. Namine suddenly perked up with a huge smile and eager to hear more. Riku scooted back slowly with wide eyes at first before narrowing them displeasingly.

"Why?" He asked. I could sense the annoyance in his voice already.

"I really don't know why, honestly." I replied nervously. "He just showed up this morning in front of my house waiting for me."

"That's so sweet!" Namine gleefully. I smiled apprehensively at her reply before looking back to see Riku thinking about what to say.

"I still don't know about this guy, Kairi." Riku crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair. He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Riku," I tilted my head a little and sighed. "Relax. I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me, I'm a big girl."

Namine looked at him. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"What gives you that impression?" He asked bitterly.

She raised an eyebrow, "Your tone for instance. Plus, why don't you like him?"

"None of us know him. He gives me a bad vibe and I just don't like him." Riku sat up stiffly. "What makes him think he deserves someone like Kairi?"

"You're just making yourself seem more jealous." Namine sighed under her breath, but Riku heard her.

"I'm not jealous!" He replied. "I care about Kairi but it doesn't mean I want to date her or anything. We tried that, remember?"

"Yeah, but still."

"Oh my god, Namine. Just- whatever. I'm leaving. See you two at lunch." Riku stood up and left down the hall. Namine and I watched him go.

"Did you have to go there?" I asked quietly after he disappeared into the crowd.

"Riku will get over. I know he doesn't like you that way." Namine said looking back at me. "I just wanted to see if he'd say any more about why he doesn't like Seifer. That's all. I'll apologize to him about it when I see him next."

"That would probably be the best idea." The bell finally rang for us to leave for class.

The day went by kind of slow at first just because I was so apprehensive about what happened earlier in the morning. Namine and Riku did apologize to each other for both of their reactions. Riku still wasn't too pleased about Seifer taking me home and even offered to take me himself. I assured him that everything would be fine but I could tell he still wasn't very convinced.

I walked out front after saying goodbye to my friends after school. Seifer's car was parked where he left me this morning. I smiled and got inside.

"These are for you." Seifer said once I looked at him. He reached into his backseat and handed me a six-inch tall, brown teddy bear and a single red rose.

I gasped as I stared at them. "Oh, my gosh. Seifer, this is amazing." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I was hoping you'd think so." He grinned.

"What are they for?" I asked, inhaling the sweet aroma of the rose and hugging my teddy bear.

"Just because."

"I like just because things." I smiled happily.

He laughed. "I'll remember that. So how was school?" We pulled out of the school parking lot before the busses came and headed toward my house.

"Uh," I stalled for a bit. "It was alright."

"You don't sound too convincing."

"Riku wasn't too happy that you took me to school and came to pick me up." I don't know what caused me to tell him that.

Seifer thought about it for a little while. It really just made me very nervous. "Why's that?"

"I don't know." I answered. "He just doesn't like you."

"That's not fair to judge. He doesn't know me." He said shaking his head. "Whatever, he better learn to deal with it because I'm not going to stop hanging around you. I don't need his approval."

In a way it was sweet because it showed determination and proved nothing would stand in his way to be with me, but I knew Riku would not be happy to hear about this. I swallowed and stared out the window until we finally got to my house. I turned to look at Seifer as I pushed the door open. "Thanks again for driving me to school and back and thanks for my just because gifts."

"Anytime." He leaned over and pulled me into a kiss. His kisses always made me forget everything, especially when since they were always passionate ones. He slowly pulled back and I frowned. "What?" Seifer laughed.

"I was just getting into it." I sighed. I couldn't believe I even admitted that. I mentally slapped myself.

"I only stopped because it looks like we have company." He pointed outside. I turned to see my sister leaning against the door with her arms crossed and a very pleased grin on her face. I rolled my eyes.

"That's just my sister. I better go. Thanks again." I smiled and climbed out. Seifer waved at me before driving off. I headed up toward the front door. "Thanks a lot, Yuffie."

"No problem." She smiled. Her eyes wandered down to my gifts. "Aw! How sweet! You need to invite him over sometime so I can meet him."

"Uh, yeah... sure." I nodded sarcastically before walking past her.

---

The night was a cool one, a little chillier than most nights lately. Namine had come over to do our English homework together which we finished quickly. We were wrapped up in a large blanket outside my bedroom window. Thankfully it was a clear night so the stars were in perfect view. We didn't talk right away because there was no need to. I had a CD I made for us a year ago playing in my room for background music.

"So how are you and Clay?" I asked Namine after nearly twenty minutes of silence.

She sighed happily. "Everything's great. He always puts his hand to my stomach wondering if the baby feels him. It's so sweet."

"That's good that he's actually there for you and the baby. He needs to take that responsibility."

"Of course!" Namine said. "It's his kid after all."

Before I could answer, a little rock flew up at us. It barely missed my head. "Hey!" I said sitting up quickly. As I was leaning down to see where it came from, another one shot up. I was surprised to see who was doing it.

"Hey, that was quick. I haven't even managed to hit your window." Seifer said looking up at me. He dropped the handful of little rocks into the bushes.

"That's because Namine and I are outside and you nearly hit me in the head with them." I replied.

"Oops," He said suddenly. "Sorry about that."

"What are you doing here?" I scooted to the edge of the roof to get a better look at him. Seifer was dressed in a baggy, black hoodie, and dark blue jeans.

"I came to see you, duh." He smiled.

I stared around the quiet neighborhood making sure no one was spying out their window. "This is random of you."

"Yeah, well," He shrugged. I looked back at Namine, who was smiling.

"So..." I said looking around before looking back at him.

"I have something to ask you." Seifer called up to me.

"Yes?"

"Will you go out with me?" I was stunned. I quickly was joined by Namine at my side who also looked down.

"Wha- are you serious?" I asked in a loud whisper.

"Of course." Seifer grinned. "Kairi, I really like you a lot. I think you're the most amazing girl who is completely down to earth with a great head on her shoulders. I want to make you mine."

Riku instantly appeared in my mind from earlier. I knew for a fact he wouldn't be pleased with my decision, but he would support me no matter what. At least I hoped... "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

"I was hoping to hear you say that." He smiled softly.

**A/N**: So yeah, that is chapter 7. Finally, the good stuff is coming! I updated sooner than I actually thought I would, but there are reasons for that. My boyfriend's leave date is being moved to April 24. To find out reasons why and updates on my life, visit the Dear Diary website in the _Progress_section. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Innocense

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 8**- Innocense

I could not believe I was finally dating Seifer. After I said yes to him, we talked for about five minutes before he had to leave. Namine was ecstatic for me. After she left a little while later, Yuffie came in with such an evil smirk.

"Aw, my little sister finally has a boyfriend." She said sitting next to me on my bed.

I set down my book and stared at her in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"My window was open when he came over." Yuffie said getting under the covers with me. "He's a good guy, right?"

"Of course," I nodded moving my book to my night stand. "I wouldn't date him if I knew he was a bad guy."

"Just making sure."

"You don't have to worry. I'll bring him over for dinner sometime so you can all meet him."

"Are you going to tell mom and dad?" I looked over at my older sister who was looking at me.

"Yeah," I replied. "Maybe tomorrow night."

Yuffie pulled the covers off of her and headed toward my window. "Keep me updated. I'll see you in the morning. Love you."

She smiled at me and I smiled back. "I will and I love you too." Soon, Yuffie disappeared out my window and into the night.

--

"Where's Riku?" I asked Namine once I noticed he wasn't at the normal table the following morning.

"He has a doctors appointment. He needs you to pick up his homework and such for him." She replied.

"I was going to tell him about Seifer and me today too." I sighed.

"Riku will _not _be happy to hear about this." Namine looked at me.

"But I can't hide it either." She nodded in agreement. We sat at our table in silence for a little bit. I looked down at Namine's stomach where her hand was resting. She was already two months pregnant and lucky she still had a while before she started to show. No one but her family, Clay, my parents and sister, Sora, Riku, and I knew about it. In the baby books we're reading, her baby is only an inch long and it was gaining its organs and facial features. Namine has been extremely moody and sick because of it.

"Man, we really need jobs." She said looking down. "I can't let Clay and my parents pay for all of it."

"I want to help too. I want to help take care of the little one. I'll search for a job after school." I smiled. Namine leaned over and hugged me gratefully.

--

After school, Namine and I left our separate ways for a job hunt. My first ideal place was Midnight Sun Café. I walked inside the semi-busy dessert café where Tifa was waiting with a smile.

"Hello, Kairi." She said as I walked forward. Since I had been coming so often since school started, she already knew my name.

"Hi, Tifa." I smiled back. "I was wondering if you guys were hiring."

"You can fill out an application then I can bring you in for an interview." The brunette reached under the counter and handed me a two page application along with a pen.

"Thank you." I walked over to an empty table and began to fill out the papers. It took a good while to fill out everything and I wasn't super confident at the end considering I never had a job. Tifa looked over the application before bringing me into the back room to interview me. I did my best to answer without stutters, "um", or "I don't know." which I know you shouldn't do. I smiled and tried to be as pleasing as possible.

"I'll call you within a week and tell you the results." Tifa smiled reassuringly as we walked back into the actual part of the café.

"Thank you so much." I nodded. As I turned to order something to go, I was very surprised to see who was behind the counter.

"How can I help you today, ma'am?" Sora said with a welcoming smile. Suddenly I had a very painful pang of guilt in my stomach.

"Hey Sora, when did you start working here?" I asked.

"For about a week now." He pointed the backroom where Tifa went. "Did you just come out of an interview?"

I nodded. "Yeah and I really hope I get the job."

"I'm sure you will." He nodded confidently.

I laughed. "Always knowing the right things to say. So how have you been lately? I haven't talked to you in a few days."

"Things have been alright." Sora said leaning against the glass counter. "Silent Existence is just been practicing for a concert that's going to be out at Common Park. A few other bands will be playing there too. How about you? You got anything new or exciting?"

"Um," I said not sure how to put my newest news. "I'm dating someone now."

Sora looked at me taken back. He slowly stood up straight. "Oh, really? Who is it?"

"His name is Seifer Almasy. He graduated in 2005 from Douglas." I said in a softer tone. He didn't answer right away. He seemed so surprised which I guess is understandable considering I never told him about Seifer and I never told Seifer about Sora. I felt absolutely horrible though because I really honestly liked Sora a lot, he just wasn't what I was looking for. "I'm sorry Sora..."

"What are you sorry for?" He laughed a little hesitantly before looking down at the desserts separating us. I watched his hand trace the edge of the counter. He nodded his head before looking up at me with a very small smile. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," I smiled a little wider than his. "Very."

Sora nodded again and looked at the ground. When he looked up at me, he sighed with a smile. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you Sora." I replied. "I don't want me dating someone to cause us to stop hanging out though."

"Yeah..." He said lightly. "That would suck."

The bells on the door jingled. I turned to look who was entering the café. Riku walked in casually and when he saw me, he waved. I turned to look back at Sora, but instead I saw the kitchen door swinging closed. Even though the doors were behind the counter, they hit me hard.

"Hey." Riku said standing next to me. "Did you get my school work?"

"Yeah, they're in my car." I replied not looking at him.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked leaning toward me to get a better look.

I turned to face him and shrugged a little. "I was just wondering where Sora went, that's all."

"Oh," I saw Riku's eyes glance where Sora disappeared. "Oh! Namine said you have something to tell me."

"Uh, yeah." This was it, Riku was about to find out something he never wanted to hear. "Um, Seifer and I are together."

_Bam_. The silence that came hit just as hard as the door. Riku stood still and stared at me intently. I suddenly felt very awkward.

"It's your choice." Riku said shaking his head. "I don't get what you see in that loser, but whatever, it's your choice."

"I don't get what you _don't _see in him. You don't even know him." I was slightly irritated with his response.

"I don't need to know him to get what he's all about." He stared down at me. "He's nearly twenty with no job, still living off his parents, has pothead friends, is a partier, and more than likely a druggy and alcoholic. I think _you _don't know who he is Kairi. You deserve so much better than him, I just don't approve."

"Look," I was finally angry with what I heard. Riku didn't know anything about Seifer and it's not like he'd take the time to figure him out either. I hated hearing what he had to say. "I don't need your permission to date him. We don't need your approval."

Riku looked at me expressionless. "Do whatever you want Kairi. No one's stopping you." He turned around and started to leave.

It hit me, the stupid guilt that always hit me. "Riku!" I chased after him and put my hand on his shoulder to turn him around. "I'm sorry. I just really want you to support me in my decisions. If you can't do it for Seifer and me, then please, just do it for me- your best friend."

His aqua blue eyes looked me directly into mine. He took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "For you and only you. Not for your relationship with _him _or the idiot himself."

I sighed. It was better than nothing. "Thank you."

--

"Mom, dad, Kairi has an announcement to make." Yuffie said at dinner randomly. I stared at her.

"Thanks a lot, Yuffie." I shook my head. She smiled at me.

"What is it dear?" My mom asked placing her napkin in her lap and looked at me with a pleased smile. My dad put his elbows on the edge of the table and linked his hands together to show I had his attention.

"Well, I'm finally dating Seifer." I told them.

"Aw! I want to meet this boy!" My mother cried happily as she clapped her hands.

"Invite him over for dinner." My dad said nodding.

"Right now?" I asked surprised. He nodded again. "Um, okay..." I went up to my room and called Seifer on my cell phone. He didn't answer right away.

"Hey gorgeous." His voice surprised me. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh?" I laughed. "Ironic. Hey, my parents want to meet you. They want you to come over for dinner."

"Even more ironic," Seifer said. "I'm outside of your house." Before I could reply to that, he hung up the phone. I tossed my phone to my bed and ran down the stairs. As I was reaching the bottom step, the doorbell rang and Yuffie bolted from the dinning room to the front door.

"Seifer!" Yuffie cheered as she opened it. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Yuffie, Kairi's older sister."

"Hi," He smiled casually. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie and light blue jeans with black shoes. Seifer stepped into my house and he gazed around the unfamiliar territory to him. When his eyes finally made it to the stairs where I was standing, he smiled wider.

"Hi." I smiled nervously.

"Come on, my parents want to meet you." Yuffie took hold of my boyfriend's arm and walked him into the kitchen. I quickly followed them.

"Mom, dad," I said stepping from behind my sister and Seifer. "This is my boyfriend, Seifer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Seifer said nodding toward my dad to shake his hand and shake my mom's hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you too." My mom smiled. Seifer took the seat next to mine and everyone began to hand him some food. I watched carefully at how everyone was reacting. It seemed to be only me who felt most uncomfortable in this situation. I had never brought a guy over as a boyfriend and I was nervous about how my parents would react when I finally did. It was going a lot smoother than I thought.

"So where do you work?" My dad asked eyeing Seifer.

Seifer put his napkin in his lap and smiled politely. "I actually just got a job as a mechanic in town."

"That's good." He replied. "You going to school?"

"Not yet. I will after I earn some more money though. Education is very important." I was very surprised by Seifer's answers and how amazingly sweet he was around my family. If only Riku could see this.

Dinner went by great. My parents really enjoyed Seifer's company and it seemed like he liked theirs. He even helped clear the table and do dishes with me. By the time everything was done, it was nearly eight.

"Would it be okay if Kairi and I went out to get some dessert?" Seifer asked my parents as we walked into the living room.

"Maybe another night." My dad said. "It's a school night and Kairi needs to finish her homework."

"I'm sorry." I frowned.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Seifer hand founds its way to my cheek to get me to smile. "I better go then. Thank you for inviting me over. It was a wonderful meal."

"Thank you for stopping by. We really enjoyed your company." My mom smiled. Seifer nodded.

As Seifer opened the door to leave, I quickly followed him out. "I'll walk you to your car." He reached for my hand as we walked into the cold night.

"I'm really glad you came." I said quietly. I looked up and never really realized how much taller he was than me. He had to be a good half a foot.

"I'm glad I did too. I love your family." He smiled at me. We walked to his car and he got in the drivers side. Seifer rolled down his window and I leaned in. "I'll see you later."

"Hope so." He reached his hand and leaned me further in the car to kiss.

"Good night." He said as we pulled away.

"Night." I blushed. He watched me walk away from his car before driving off down the street. I smiled the whole way back up into my room. I quickly closed the door behind me so no one could interrupt my happiness. I began to work on my homework and actually managed to finish it all. Both of my parents had already said their goodnights to me and Yuffie by the time I finished everything. As I was about to get ready for bed, there was a light tap at my window. I stared at it wondering what it could have been. I walked over and opened it up to see a little pebble fly into my room and land on my carpet. I already knew exactly who did it. Quietly crawling out of my room, I peeked below.

"I actually had better aim tonight." Seifer called up to me in a loud whisper.

"Yeah, you did." I laughed.

He motioned me to come down. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"I can't leave. It's almost nine. I have school tomorrow." I replied stunned that he wanted me to just up and leave.

"Oh come on, be a dare devil!"

I glanced around my room and even at my sisters bedroom window. Her lights were off so I figured she had just left or was asleep. I took in a deep breath. I guess I really was going to do what I always sinned my sister about. "Alright. I'll be down in a minute. I need to make sure there is no evidence I'm leaving."

"Alright. I'll be right down here." He said. I crawled back into my room and grabbed my bag before locking my bed room door and turning out the lights. I had never snuck out of my room and I was very nervous. Luckily after watching my sisters routine so often, I knew exactly what to do. By the time I landed in my side yard, Seifer was there smiling. "Such a bad girl."

"I blame you." I smiled as he kissed me. He took my hand and we started to run down my street to his car. "Where are we going?"

"Going to a party." He replied.

--

The party ended up being on the opposite side of town in a large house pretty much in the middle of no where. There were so many people already there but for once I wasn't nervous because Seifer was with me. As soon as we walked in, everyone immediately acknowledged him. I was surprised so many people actually knew him and it just made me feel less of a stand out because when they saw me, it seemed like they didn't know exactly what to think. A number of the people there were from Centennial but there were a few from Douglas too. Suddenly I recognized the music that was coming to an end out back. I looked out the glass doors to see Sora, Roxas, Hayner, and Pence on the balcony finishing a song. The crowd clapped and cheered as the band left their stage. The four of them walked inside.

Everyone but Sora disappeared into the next room. He looked up and spotted me. At first he smiled happily but as soon as I waved, he followed my other hand and saw it linked to Seifer, who was talking to someone. Sora nodded with a soft smile before walking into the other room. I stared at the wall as if it were going to disappear and reveal Sora again.

"Let's go upstairs." Seifer said breaking my concentration. I nodded and he led me to the second story. We walked into a room where I noticed Fujin and Raijin sitting on a couch drinking alcohol.

"It's about time, ya know." Raijin said standing up.

Seifer let go of my hand and walked forward. "Sorry, Kairi's parents wouldn't let her leave so I had to sneak her out."

"Figures." Fujin said bitterly. I don't know if it was just me but she seemed even more displeased by me now then she did before.

"I'm going to go talk to a few people. I'll be back." Seifer said kissing the top of my head and disappearing into the hall with Raijin. I looked around nervously at everyone who was in the room. I figured the safest thing to do was to just sit next to someone I kind of knew. Fujin just stared at me as I sat down next to her and put my hands in my lap. She watched me carefully for a while before I finally decided to say something.

"Do you have something against me or something?" I asked as I turned to face her.

"Seifer's my ex." She replied monotone. I suddenly gulped. I wasn't expecting that.

"Oh," I said. "Do-do you still have feelings for him?"

"None of your business." Fujin gathered all of her light purple hair and moved it to one side. As she took a drink of her alcoholic drink, I looked at her carefully. She was very pretty and it really made me wonder why Seifer and her never worked out.

"How long were you two together?" This really wasn't any of my business and I wasn't sure why I was asking her when I could ask Seifer.

"Nearly three years." She said not looking at me. Ouch. How was I supposed to compete against that?

"What happened?"

"Just shut your mouth." Fujin said taking another drink. I immediately obeyed. We sat in silence for probably ten minutes when I decided I was way too uncomfortable to stay.

I walked out of the room and decided to head downstairs to get something to drink, praying nothing was spiked with something. I looked around everywhere as I made my way into the kitchen hoping to find Seifer but I never spotted him. I did, however, recognize a familiar blond haired boy.

"Hey, Roxas." I smiled at him.

"Oh, hi Kairi." Roxas said. "What are you doing here?"

"Right now, I'm looking for something to drink." I stared around the counter. It was full of alcohol, soda cans, and a punch bowl. Roxas walked over to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.

"This is probably your safest bet right here." He handed it to me with a smile.

"Thanks." I replied gratefully. I glanced around and noticed Sora wasn't here either. "So where's Sora?"

"He's around here somewhere." He shrugged. Before I could ask any more, my cell phone rang. I noticed it was Namine.

"Hey, Namine." I said right as I answered. "You're calling late."

"Kairi!" She was crying. It wasn't a light cry, it was one of those dramatic ones that made you stutter and hardly breath. "I need you. Clay left me. He's gone and he didn't tell anyone where he was going. Kairi, I'm all alone and scared!"

"Where are you?" I asked frantically.

"I'm outside of his apartment." Luckily for me, I knew where he lived... or used to live.

"I'll be there soon."

"Hurry." She pleaded quietly. I hung up the phone and glanced around. I had no idea where Seifer was and I had no time to find out where he could be.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked.

"It's Namine. She needs me." I said trying to figure out how to get to her.

"I'll take you."

"Thank you." Roxas and I ran out of the kitchen, through the house, and outside to his car. This night was just getting intense.

**A/N**: dun dun dun! So did you actually see that coming? I bet you did. (**A/N**: -April 23- I've been working on following chapters and trying to put it together with dates, I've noticed I'm way off with where I thought I was. I will be going back and fixing my mistakes and in the next chapter, I'll inform you of the changes. Sorry!)


	9. After Tonight

**The Perfect Fall**

**Author's Notes**: So while actually trying to make this story work according to dates, I've noticed I was off by a lot! Changes I've made: (_chapter 5_- beginning of October) Kairi just turned 18 and Namine is five weeks pregnant when her parents find out. (chapter 8- beginning of November) Namine is 9 weeks pregnant.

**Chapter 9**- After Tonight

Roxas and I rushed into town towards Clay's apartment. Once we parked, we ran to the second story where we found Namine sitting outside the door with her knees brought to her chest and her head bent down.

"Namine!" I said as I made my way to her quickly. Roxas and I bent down on either side of her. She looked up with tear streaked cheeks. I wrapped my arms around her sorrowfully.

"What happened?" Roxas asked quietly. We both looked at him and Namine took in a deep breath.

"Well, I told my parents I was going to go to your house." She said looking at me. "Then I drove over here because I told Clay I would. When I got here, we were talking about how we were going to raise the baby. He didn't really talk about it too much. He mainly just walked around the house looking for things of his while I talked about what I learned in the baby books. Clay then asked me to go run to the gas station to get some ice. When I came back, his roommate said he left." Namine began to cry again.

I rubbed her back. "Did his roommate say where he left?"

"All his roommate told me is that he left for good. He said he couldn't take the idea of being a father and being so committed. He's still young and he doesn't want his life to be ruined so he ran away." Namine bursted into tears. "What about me! I'm still young and I can't handle this on my own! He promised me he'd be there to help me raise our child!"

I looked up at Roxas who had a remorseful expression which soon turned to confusion. "What do you mean child?"

Namine looked up and wiped a few tears away. "I'm pregnant."

Hearing those words definitely took Roxas by surprise. "Oh... well if it helps, you don't look like you are."

She smiled slightly and let out a small whimper which I knew was supposed to be a laugh. "Thanks. I won't start showing for another month or so."

Roxas smiled sweetly at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, Namine. You've got your best friends and your newest friend to help you out. You're not alone in taking care of this baby. We're here to help you, remember that."

Namine stared in awe at this blond haired hero of hers. She smiled sadly and hugged him. "Thank you, Roxas."

"Any time, Namine." He whispered. I smiled at the two as they shared a moment.

—

I managed to get Namine to my house without my parents noticing I had even left in the first place. Seifer ended up calling me asking where I had disappeared to but I let him know there was a very important emergency that I had to take care of. I left the detail of Roxas out just in case. I had also received a call from Midnight Sun Café letting me know I got the job and that I start Monday. I was very excited about it.

It was the weekend, just a couple days after the party. Yuffie was starting to move into her new place with Leon and Vincent about ten minutes away from home. I was helping her out and Seifer agreed to help with the heavier things as well which left an even better impression on my family. I was standing in the very bare living room of the three bedroom apartment while my sister was running back and forth from outside to hers and Leon's room. Seifer was outside with Leon and Vincent deciding what to bring from their places.

"Looks like a nice place." Riku said from the entry way. Namine was standing next to him and they were glancing all around the inside.

"You two can come in." I smiled. They walked in still examining the apartment.

"Where's Yuffie?" Namine asked trying to look in the bedrooms.

"I'm right here." My sister said walking in with a box labeled "kitchen". "It would be great if you three would help me out here."

"I'll help you get the rest of the kitchen stuff." Riku offered.

"Then you two can start unloading the boxes." Yuffie pointed the box she had just set down on the kitchen counter. Namine and I nodded while my sister and Riku disappeared outside.

"So how did your parents react to the whole Clay thing?" I asked while I carefully unwrapped glasses from the box.

Namine sighed while handing me a new glass. "They said they knew he would do something like that. I've lost complete contact from him too. No one knows where he went."

I looked at her since her voice was a little shaky. "You don't deserve it. You also have to remember that there are a bunch of people who are willing to help you out as much as possible with your baby."

"I know. It just still hurts." She frowned trying to hold back her pain. I set the glass down and hugged her. There was a lot of talking and that's when Riku, Yuffie, Seifer, Leon, and Vincent walked in. Riku and Yuffie walked into the kitchen to help with the kitchen while Namine wiped away her tears. Vincent, who was pretty tall with long black hair, was guiding Leon and Seifer into the living room so they could set the couch down.

"Finally," Yuffie sighed walking over and sitting on the cream colored couch. "Something to sit on."

"Lazy!" Leon said sitting next to her.

I crossed my arms and smiled. "Look who's talking." We all laughed as he smiled back at me. Leon and Yuffie got back up to start unloading boxes that were placed in the living room while Vincent left for his room. Namine, Riku, and I started to unpack the kitchen again when Seifer walked over to us.

"We need to talk." Seifer reached for my arm and tugged me toward him. I quickly set the glass down as he started to lightly pull me into a less populated part of the room.

"What is it?" I asked looking at him oddly.

"Why didn't you just call me when you needed to leave the party?" He asked. He kept bringing up the party but I usually just told him the same thing. I left for an emergency. I figured we should just finally get over talking about it so we could move on.

"I didn't even think to. I just got the phone call and I had to leave-." I was quickly cut off.

"What was the big emergency?"

I glanced back at Namine and Riku who were trying to listen in without making it obvious. "Namine needed me."

"What was so important that she needed you?"

I raised an eyebrow as I began to speak. "Clay left her without letting her know so now she's stuck taking care of her baby by herself..."

"How did you get to her?" He eyed me funny. Oh crap.

"Well," I said looking up at Riku and Namine who were now looking at us. "A friend drove me there."

Seifer crossed his arms. "Who's your friend?"

Double crap. "It was-."

"Me." Riku stepped forward. "I took Kairi from the party to see Namine."

Seifer looked at the three of us then back at Riku. "Where was the party?" I hadn't told Riku where the party so I started to freak out a little.

"Like I remember. It was dark outside. I was more worried about Namine than some address for a party." Riku retorted. One point for Riku on that one. I smiled.

"Well obviously you need the address to get Kairi." My boyfriend glared. One point Seifer. Riku and Seifer began the ultimate glare down. He suddenly had a twisted smile on his face. "I have an idea. How about you tell me what happened then I'll ask Kairi when you're not around."

"What!" I was surprised.

"What is your deal man?" Riku said getting closer to Seifer.

"What do you mean what's my deal?" Seifer also stepped closer. "I have the right to know who my girlfriend is with."

"You don't need to know everything."

"Yeah I do." Seifer looked at me. "If she wants to really be with me we need to have good communication." That was true. I looked at Seifer and Riku who were both looking at me.

"I was with Roxas." I finally said.

"Who the hell is Roxas?" He asked.

"A friend." I answered looking at him.

"I don't know if I like you being with a guy I don't know."

"So what if you don't know him?" Riku said bringing everyone's attention to him again. "Kairi, Namine, and I know him. That's good enough."

"I don't need your input." Seifer sneered.

"Shut the hell up."

"Why don't you make me." The two got closer again.

"Stop!" I yelled stepping in between them. Leon, Yuffie, and Vincent finally noticed that something was going on.

"Hey!" Leon yelled. "Knock it off!"

"I'm out of here." Riku shook his head. He looked at everyone else but Seifer. "See you guy's later."

I stood there and watched my best friend walk out of the room that suddenly fell silent.

--

A few days had passed since the incident at my sisters place. Riku and I hadn't been able to talk very well about what had happened. Seifer and I were at the park on a date after school. I was on the swings and he was behind me pushing.

"I don't like Riku." He said as he pushed me higher.

I sighed and pumped myself. "Yeah, I know."

"You two should stop being friends." Seifer said causing me to drag my feet forcefully into the sand to stop myself. I turned my head to see him leaning against the slanted metal bar supporting the swing set with his arms crossed.

"What?" I wasn't sure what I heard was correct.

"I think you should tell Riku that you can't be friends anymore and that you don't want to see him ever again." His sea green eyes stared at me as he said it so casually like it was normal for me to just dump my best friend of over 14 years.

"I can't do that." I said shaking my head in shock.

Seifer stood straight up and walked closer to me until he could brush some stray strands of hair out of my face. "What kind of best friend would ever be so discouraging toward their best friend's relationship?"

I looked down. He did have a point. "I still can't do that. Riku and I have been through so much together."

"He should support you in every decision you make. No matter the circumstance." His hand grazed my cheek which sent shivers down my spine. I looked up at him and he leaned in to kiss me.

"I... don't know. He may not support our relationship, but he respects my choice in dating you." I said looking at him.

"Obviously not." Seifer stood up and turned his back to me. "If he really respects your choice in dating me, he wouldn't try to pick fights with me about everything that involves you."

"He's only doing that because he doesn't want me to get hurt." I stood up causing the swing to sway behind me.

"Well he's hurting our relationship." He turned to face me. "Kairi, I love you."

This caught me off guard. That was the first time he had ever said those words to me. I stood there in shock.

"Do you love me?" Seifer asked. I wasn't sure how to answer this question. I mean, of course I loved him and I did mean it, but I just wasn't sure where this was going to end up.

"I do." I answered. His arm reached out and pulled me closer to trap me into a passionate kiss. His figures spread out across my neck like he did the first time he kissed me which automatically made me weak in the knees.

"Together, our love is strong. Only negativity can tear that down. Riku could ruin this for us by pushing my buttons and ruining something so great." Seifer said leaning down to look me directly in the eyes. "I don't like him and he doesn't like me. If he really wanted, he could ruin us forever. I'm sure you don't want that."

I sat there and took in what he just said to me the last few minutes. "No. I wouldn't."

"Then for the sake of our relationship, end it with Riku. To make everything flow better we will need to take down anything that can cause a bump. He's our biggest bump, Kairi. If you really love me, you'll do this for me... for us." Before I could answer, he kissed me again. Damn him and his kisses...

--

I was at work just about an hour later. I stood behind the counter with my dark green apron on watching the door impatiently. Riku and Namine were supposed to be coming in to visit me and do their homework while Silent Existence did a practice. Seifer asked me to 'kick Riku to the curb' before he came to pick me up later. I still felt really awkward about the whole situation. I was hoping Riku would understand... but then again, no one would really understand the full circumstance. The swinging door that separated the kitchen from the counter area swung open. I turned to see Sora walking out as he lifted his apron off.

"You look anxious for something." He said folding it neatly and laying it in a cubby. "Is Seifer coming or something?"

"No," I answered looking back at the front door.

"Hey," I felt a hand lightly grip onto my shoulder and turned me to him. I turned to see his exotic blue eyes staring at me with much concern. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm fine." I replied looking away from him quickly. This wasn't good that this whole lying without feeling too guilty thing was slightly getting easier.

"Just so you know," Sora said as he walked to the other side of the counter, "I can see right through your eyes."

What was that supposed to mean? I watched him walk over to the stage where Silent Existence's equipment was. The bells on the front door jingled which caused me to quickly look in that direction. Roxas, Hayner, and Pence walked in chatting away. The group immediately went to where Sora was waiting. I sighed as I leaned into the counter. This waiting game wasn't very fun.

"Hey Kairi!" I turned to see Namine and Riku walking in with their school books in hand. I smiled right away until I realized Riku smiling back at me. This was going to be hard.

"Hey you two." I said as my best friends walked up to the counter. "Would you like to try our strawberry short cake? It's managers special for today."

"Oh, that sounds nummy." Namine said staring into the glass counter. Riku looked up at the menu deciding on what to get.

"I'll just get a tropical protein shake." Riku said.

I rung up the shake and the strawberry short cake. "That'll be six-twenty-eight."

"Here." Riku said handing me a ten. I handed him his change while I went to make Riku's shake. After getting their order, I took my break and gave my friend's their items.

"Thank you." Namine smiled as she stuck her finger in the whipped cream and licking it off.

"Your baby's really going to enjoy that." Riku laughed.

"Oh," Namine said dramatically. "We both will." We all laughed. The soothing rhythmic sound of Silent Existence started up.

Riku watched them before looking at me. "You're awfully quiet, Kairi."

"Sorry." I replied looking back at the band.

"What's on your mind?" The blonde asked popping a slice of strawberry into her mouth.

"Uh," I sighed watching my fingers intertwine. "A lot."

"What's going on?" Riku's aqua eyes stared into me sharply which made it that much harder.

"Riku... I, um... we can't be friends anymore." I said. Suddenly, every noise swallowed the world except for the three of us. Everything seemed to numb as Riku stared at me while Namine looked back and forth. It felt as if no one could hear or see the hazy bubble of our table. Life kept going as we slowed down.

"What?" He squinted his eyes and tilted his head.

"We can't be friends anymore." I looked away, scared to see his face.

"Says who?"

"Seifer."

"Psh, I should of known." My eyes averted back to see Riku forcefully lean back into his chair as he crossed his arms. "You're seriously going to let him control your life?"

"No." I replied offended.

"Then what Kairi?" Riku leaned forward. "You're letting him ruin a friendship that's been around for years and years before he showed up. You're letting him control your decisions."

"No, I'm not!" I said frustrated.

"Then what's the deal?" He replied angrily. "You'd rather be with someone you've been with for a couple weeks than someone who's been there forever? Let me guess, it's because you _love _him."

"Yes." I glared. Riku leaned back before scooting his chair back, shaking his head. He grabbed his books and stood up. This made me realized what I had done. He turned to step away. "No, Riku! Wait!"

He turned his head and said softly with some irritation, "no, Kairi. The damage is already done." As Riku walked out the door, the bubble that separated us from everyone else popped and suddenly I caught up with the world. I began to cry. Namine quickly came over to comfort me.

A few hours had passed after Riku left. Sora had noticed me crying a little after I started and he also came to try to cheer me up. Namine had left with Roxas since Riku left without her.

"Are you feeling better?" Sora asked as I began to get ready to get off work.

"Yeah. A little." I said smiling softly. "Thank you, Sora."

"That's what I'm here for." He grinned striking a super hero pose causing me to laugh. He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled. "You deserve to be happy, so keep your head up."

"I will." I nodded as his hand fell to his side. The doorbells rang as Seifer walked in. I clocked out and walked out with my boyfriend. He opened the car door for me before getting in himself. Once we began our journey to my house, he put his hand on my leg.

"So, how did it go?" He asked. I turned to stare out the window since I began to feel tears well up in my eyes.

"I did it." I choked.

"I'm proud of you baby." Seifer said shaking my leg lightly. I quickly wiped a tear that began to make its way down my cheek. I was hoping this would be the last hard issue to deal with.

**A/N**: I hate Seifer. That is all.


	10. Memories Tonight

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 10**- Memories Tonight

"You're cousin will be arriving soon!" My mom called upstairs to me. I was rushing around my room to get everything I wanted to show my closest family member besides my parents and my sister. It was finally Thanksgiving break and Olette, who was only a month younger than me, was visiting for the five day weekend. Her parents, my mother's sister and her husband, would have come too, but they had to work.

"I'm coming!" I said back to her, running down the stairs.

"Is everything ready in Yuffie's old room?" My dad asked me from his favorite Lazy Boy chair.

"Yep." I smiled sitting on the couch next to my mom. She smiled back, brushing my hair behind my shoulders. The doorbell rang causing me to jump to my feet excitedly. I hurried to the door and opened it wide. "Ol-... Seifer?"

"You seemed surprised to see me." Seifer said standing in the doorway with a smile. He was dressed in a dark brown zip-up jacket and black pants.

"Uh," I said looking down slowly, then back at him, "I kind of am."

"Isn't your cousin coming today?" He asked. I nodded. "Well, I figured she could use a bigger welcoming group. Plus, I want to meet your favorite cousin."

"Kairi," my mother said from behind me, "don't let Seifer stand out there until Olette gets here."

"Sorry," I backed up and let my boyfriend inside.

"How are you Seifer?" My dad asked as Seifer took a seat on the couch next to my mom.

"I'm good, sir." He nodded. "How about you?"

"Good myself." The doorbell rang a second time. Since I was still standing by the door, I opened it.

"Kairi!" A girl with brunette hair pulled me into a hug.

"Olette!" I laughed, returning her hug before pulling back. She stepped back and smiled at me.

"My, my, look at how you've grown." My mom said, pulling her niece into a hug.

"Hi aunt Anastasia." Olette grinned.

"I'll bring your bags up to Yuffie's old room." My dad stood up and brought in two small bags from the front porch. As my cousin came in, I closed the door. A light cough was heard from the couch. The three of us turned to see Seifer stand with a polite smile.

"Olette, this is my boyfriend, Seifer." I said, introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you." My green-eyed cousin smiled.

"Like-wise." He nodded once.

"Seifer," my mom looked at the tallest one in the room, "would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to ma'am. Thank you." He smiled. My mom disappeared into the kitchen to begin cooking.

"Let's go to my room." I began up the stairs where my dad was heading down to help my mom. Seifer and Olette followed me. We all sat on my bed and began talking until we were called back downstairs. Yuffie and Leon ended up coming for dinner as well. My dad and Seifer sat at the ends of the table with my mom, Olette, and me on one side and Yuffie and Leon across from us.

"Kairi," my mom said as she began to cut into her chicken. "Riku hasn't been around in a while and you haven't talked about him. Are you two okay?"

I swallowed hard as everyone looked at me. I noticed Seifer give me a certain look that made it clear not to say he was involved in this sudden change. Here comes another lie. "He's been acting strange lately, so we stopped talking." I then noticed my sister give me a questioning look.

"That's a shame. Riku's a good kid." My dad said. Seifer huffed to himself quietly.

"Aw, I'm not going to see Riku?" Olette asked. I shook my head sadly. When we were kids, Olette would visit often over vacations and she grew close to Riku and me. Lately, Riku has been completely ignoring me at school. He even traded work out partners in P.E.

"How's Namine doing?" Yuffie asked from across the table. I was beginning to wonder if she knew something was changing in my life and if she was just as worried about it as me.

"She's doing okay. She's twelve weeks along now." I said taking a sip of cool water to sooth my suddenly dry mouth.

"Along what?" Olette asked looking at me.

"Namine's pregnant." I announced, forgetting that not everyone close to me didn't already know this piece of information. Namine still hasn't said anything to anyone at school and I figured she'd keep it that way until she starts showing.

"Aw," my cousin gasped. I smiled warily at her.

The rest of the dinner was filled with numerous conversations about things that have happened since we last sat down together as a family. Seifer didn't say too much but did participate when someone involved him on a certain topic. After Olette and I helped my mom clear off the dinner table, I decided to walk Seifer out to his car.

"That was pleasant." He said leaning against the drivers side door casually. I stood a little less than a foot away from him with my arms crossed, looking down at the small gap separating us. "Is there something wrong?"

"I just hate lying to my family about the whole Riku thing." I said, looking up at him sadly. His hand reached for my cheek and caressed it gently.

"Everything's going to be okay." Seifer said leaning into me so he was just a few inches from my mouth. "I promise." I nodded slowly before he kissed me softly. "Be ready by eleven."

"Okay." I said as I stepped back so he could get in his car. I walked around until I was on the sidewalk before he drove down the street.

Almost a month into a relationship with Seifer and I've managed to catch myself doing the exact things I would sin my sister about. It began to be a normal weekly thing that was happening. Seifer would either drop me off after hanging out or call me out of the blue and tell me to be ready at a specific time. I would hurry and get ready before waiting on my roof for him to park his car by our house. Quietly climbing down a tree and dashing across the yard to meet my boyfriend in his car was only the beginning of the excitement.

Once getting in the car and receiving a pleased kiss, Seifer would drive through the quiet streets of my side of town, through the well-lit city, and into another part of town where a party was in full force. Inside was usually a number of wasted people smoking, drinking, making-out, dancing, mingling, and all other sorts of stuff I would only ever hear or read about. I never drank anything or really did much except for hang onto Seifer. In a way I felt like a lost puppy at these things, but I just didn't want to get caught up in a situation I may not be able to get out of.

At eleven o'clock on the dot, Seifer's dark blue sports car hummed quietly between my house and our neighbors. I hurried down the tree in my dark blue jeans and a red shirt under a black hoodie. I ran across the yard and hopped into the waiting car. Seifer did his normal thing and kissed me before speeding off into the night. Once we arrived to the already busy party, he reached for my hand and brought me inside.

"Hey Seifer!" A group of guys sitting around a ping pong table lined with numbers of plastic cups, waved as we entered. Seifer walked over, with me stepping behind him. Even though Seifer had introduced me to his friends plenty of times, it didn't prove to help them acknowledge me whenever I came.

"Mind if I play a couple rounds?" Seifer asked me. I stared at the ping pong table and drunken people surrounding it. I hated the thought of him drinking.

"I promise I won't drink." He assured me as he took his position at one end of the table. I sighed as he began his beer pong tournament. I walked over to a shelf full of books and picked one out to read while I waited until he was done. I took a seat on the couch in between a girl talking on her phone and a couple making out.

I was well into the book when I heard a few people shouting. "Fuck you!" I quickly looked over to where the beer pong contest was being held. A completely loopy drunk guy was pointing angrily at Seifer.

"Shut the hell up!" He yelled.

"You own me fifty bucks Almasy!" The drunk said shoving Seifer. My heart began to race.

"Bull shit. I owe you nothing!" Seifer lunged forward and tackled the guy to the ground. A number of gasps were heard through out the area. A few guys were chanting and cheering, egging the fight while a few others were trying to break them up. I jumped up and ran over to see what was going on. As soon as I got there I saw Seifer punch the guy right in the eye. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Another guy passed through the crowd and had a few others help pull them apart. Seifer and the other guy were breathing heavily with steady glares at each other.

"I will get my money." The one who just got tackled said. Seifer broke loose from the person holding him back. He saw me but didn't really look at me as he grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"Let's go." He said as he tugged me outside.

"What was that about?" I asked as soon as we got in his car. He didn't answer me, but quickly pulled away before even buckling up. I sat in silence watching the passing lights illuminate his face. "Seifer?"

"Kairi," He grumbled in frustration. "Just shut up for a while, will you?" I immediately shut my mouth, scared to say anything at all. I swallowed and turned to look out my window. This was the angriest I had ever seen him and I wasn't sure how to handle it.

The whole car ride was silent except for the cars that passed by. I was relieved to finally see my house coming up. Seifer pulled up in his normal spot. I reached for the doorhandle to just leave, but I felt a hand grip around my other wrist. I turned to see Seifer looking at me sadly. He reached over and began to kiss me.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into my ear after making out for a while before kissing me again.

"Don't worry about it." I said breaking away from him. I glanced at the glowing neon numbers on his dashboard. It read that it was nearly one. "I better get inside before anyone notices I'm gone."

"I don't want you to go." His eyes pleaded for me to stay with him.

"I have to." I frowned. I felt his warm lips make a path against my neck up to my cheek.

"I love you." Seifer whispered quietly into my ear. It sent shivers up and down my spine.

"I love you too." I said kissing him one last time before getting out of the car. Seifer waited until I was inside my room before driving off. I quickly changed into my pajamas and sprayed myself with some perfume to cover up any foreign smells.

I decided to go downstairs to grab a glass of water before going to bed. The hall was dark as I crept down the carpeted steps until I was downstairs. Thankfully I knew my way around my house so I didn't have to turn on any lights to grab a glass. Suddenly the lights went on causing me to spin around.

"Kairi?" My mom said looking at me questioningly. She was in her maroon bathrobe with her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I got thirsty." I said holding up my glass. I was a little uneasy about just getting home and my mom being awake. What if she knew?

"Since you're up, can I talk to you?" Her voice was tired sounding. Oh crap.

"Sure." I said carefully placing my glass under the little faucet in my fridge door.

"I was talking to Riku's mother at work on yesterday." I watched her sit down at the island. "She said that Riku told her that because of Seifer you two aren't allowed to see each other." My stomach plummeted. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"I-I don't know." I looked down in shame as I removed my glass and placed it on the counter. I never lied to my mom about anything. We were so close... I knew I was becoming more distant and I could tell she knew too.

"Kairi," she stood up. "No matter what, you can tell me anything. I will always be there to support you in everything. Just don't push the people closest to you away. I know being young, you get caught up in the moment a lot, but you should really make your own decisions."

"I know. I'm sorry mom. I was just scared on how you would react."

"I'm never going to judge you." She stood up and walked over to hug me tightly. I felt so guilty for my sudden change but I just couldn't stand the thought of my mother heartbroken by my actions. "You should probably get to bed. It's late."

"Yeah." I nodded as we pulled apart. I grabbed my glass and walked out of the kitchen, but stopped before I went up the stairs. "Mom." I said to her. She turned around to look at me. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweety." She smiled.

--

It was finally Thanksgiving. The day was nice and quiet. Yuffie came home so she could share dinner with us while Leon went to his own home. I talked to Seifer for a little bit to wish him a happy thanksgiving and we made plans to hang out the following afternoon. Dinner was peaceful and fun with a lot of joking around. I missed spending this kind of quality time with my family.

I woke up the following morning completely exhausted from the day before. It was past eleven and Olette came in to tell me to get ready since I told her I would take her to my friend's concert at my work which started at twelve thirty. I managed to be showered, dressed, and filled with a late breakfast before Olette and I were on our way to Midnight Sun Café.

By the time we arrived, it was already packed with people. Olette and I squeezed through the front door that was crowded with people. I glanced around, unsure of where to go to get a nice view of the stage. Suddenly a hand popped into the air waving wildly, along with my name being called. I looked to see Namine sitting at a round table near the front with three extra seats.

"Hey." I smiled taking a seat next to the blonde.

"Hi, Namine." Olette grinned sitting next to me.

"Olette! Long time no see. It's nice to see you." Namine said. I was just about to ask why we had an empty seat at our table until Riku walked over and sat down. He looked at me for a second before looking at my cousin.

"Geez Olette, I haven't seen you in ages." He said. "Looking pretty good."

"Hey Riku." She laughed. "It's good to see you."

"You too." He smirked. I caught myself glaring at him. If he was going to hit on my cousin after telling on Seifer and me, he was thinking wrong. He knew very well that Olette had been crushing on him since forever. I heard a few people cheer as I heard clatter on the stage. We all looked up to see Sora, Roxas, Hayner, and Pence setting up their instruments.

"Hey out there!" Sora said into his microphone, earning a lot of cheers from the crowd and a good amount of squeals from girls. He laughed. "We're glad you could make it this beautiful autumn day. Hope you enjoy our little concert! This song is called Memories Tonight" This provoked more people to clap and yell excitedly.

"Oh wow," Olette said, leaning into me. "They're popular aren't they?"

"Very." I grinned looking up at Sora who was taking a drink from a water bottle while Roxas began the steady beat of his drums.

_I'm laying here in my bed_

_Talking to you on the phone_

_We're talking about our memories_

_And how they used to be so new._

_Remember all those days_

_When we were so naive?_

_Now they're all in a haze_

_In the back of our brains_

_Sworn to never leave._

_Let's just keep playing our memories tonight._

The song was slow tempo, yet had a bouncy rhythm. I was amazed by Sora's voice. Every time he began to sing, I was instantly in a trance.

_Our present is becoming our past_

_Shaping the lives we're living today._

_Everyday gets harder_

_When you're not by my side._

_Please just tell me you'll stay all night. _

_Remember all those days _

_When we were so naive?_

_Now they're all in a haze_

_In the back of our brains_

_Sworn to never leave._

_Let's just keep playing our memories tonight. _

The crowd seemed to be enjoying this new song since I saw a number of people swaying or bobbing up and down a little. It was amazing how this band from a city like Riverside could be so popular.

_The stars are shining bright_

_Suddenly everything feels so right._

_The world will keep spinning_

_But all that matters will stand still_

_Even if it's just for one night_

_Just one night with you_

_Soon this will be just another memory _

_To look back on in a year_

_Sitting here on the phone with a smile_

_These are the days to remember_

_For the rest of our lives._

As soon as the song ended, the room became deafening with cheers and claps. Silent Existence smiled as everyone applauded their amazing talent. The band continued their set for another half an hour before finishing up.

"You guys were so amazing." Namine said as Sora and Roxas walked over to sit with us. Roxas pulled over a seat next to Namine and smiled sweetly at her.

"Thanks." Sora said sitting in between Roxas and me. I could tell he was slightly out of breath.

"Sora, Roxas, this is my cousin Olette." I said introducing everyone.

"Nice to meet you." Roxas said and Sora nodded.

"Same here." She replied.

"Hey Kairi," Sora said nudging me with his elbow. "We haven't hung out in a long time. We should get lunch together some time or something on our lunch break next week."

"That sounds like fun." I smiled earning a smile back.

Riku coughed to himself. "Good luck with that. Seifer will never be okay with it."

"Psh, what's he going to do?" Sora rolled his eyes. I had forgotten that Sora knew about Seifer telling me I couldn't be Riku's friend anymore. Since the café was cleared from more than half of the crowed, it was easy to hear the bells jingle on the door. I looked up to see Seifer walk in. I began to go into panic mode.

"Well, well, well, speak of the devil himself." Riku said, obviously seeing him too. Seifer looked around until he spotted me. We just sat there and stared at each other before he observed the people I was with. He walked over to us.

"Hey," he smirked as he lifted my chin up to kiss me more dramatically than he has ever done in public before. I knew the reason he did it was to piss off everyone else, especially Riku. "Did you forget we were hanging out today?"

"No, I remembered." I said looking at everyone who was looking at us. I noticed Sora kind of look away annoyed when I glanced at him. Was he jealous? "But I can't just leave Olette. I drove us here."

"I can take your car home if you want." She offered.

"You sure?" I asked hesitantly. I felt kind of rude for just dumping her here.

"She can stick around with us until she's ready to leave." Namine said.

"Don't worry about it." Olette said putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Okay then... I guess I'll see you tonight." I stood up from my seat as everyone kept their eyes on me. Seifer wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked to the door. I took a look back at the table to see Riku looking absolutely pissed off, Namine and Olette leaning in to talk about something, and Roxas looking worried at his best friend, who was looking kind of down.

--

"So why were you hanging out with Riku today?" Seifer asked as soon as we go in his car.

"I didn't know he was going to be there." I answered. It was true, I really didn't expect to see him. "How did you know where I was?"

"I stopped by your house and your mom said that you and Olette went to see a concert. I remembered that Silent Existence was playing so I went to Midnight Sun." He replied. "Who was that guy you were sitting next to? He looks familiar."

"Sora. He's the lead singer of the band and a co-worker of mine, and sitting next to him was his best friend Roxas."

"Roxas? Wasn't that the guy you left with that one night?" I saw him eyeing me.

I nodded, "yes."

"I don't know if I like you hanging out with all these guys." Seifer said as we came to a red light.

"They're not going to do anything. They all know I'm with you." I looked at him since he looked at me.

"That doesn't mean that they won't try anything." He said. "I don't want you hanging out with them."

"What?" I said surprised. "That isn't fair! They haven't done anything! And how am I supposed to avoid Sora when I work with him?"

Seifer sat there for a second to take it in. "Okay, then you can only see Sora at work or if the band plays. Other than that, I don't want you hanging around them. Especially if they're friends with Riku. You know he'll try to turn them against me. They're more bumps that we have to overcome. Did you see the way he looked at me when I came in? What an asshole." I fell silent and stared out the window. What was I supposed to say to this? I knew I should of stood up for myself, but I didn't want Seifer to be mad at me. I was losing control of my own mind... my own life.

We were silent for a long time while I tried to figure out what we should do or what to even say. That's when I realized something. "You know, you still haven't taken me to meet your parents. We have been together for a while now." I said looking at Seifer carefully. He didn't answer right away, nor look at me either.

He finally took a deep breath. "You really want to go and meet them?"

"Of course!" I replied smiling hoping to cause him to. It didn't work though. Seifer turned the car around and we headed toward a higher class part of town. I stared at the large houses we passed wondering who really had the money to live here. We finally pulled up to a very long two story home with a large guest house in the back. Seifer drove down the long driveway with a few other cars. "Wow..."

"This is my house." He replied getting out of the car. I took my time as I took in the largeness of everything. Seifer led me to the front door where he walked in. "I'm home!" He yelled.

I stared in shock at how amazingly beautiful this home was. Before I could take in too much, a tall blonde woman came down the winding stairs in a long, silk, pearl white dress. Her hair was done up in a tight bun with a few curls here and there. She couldn't have been hardly in her thirties which meant she had to be about twelve or more years older than Seifer. Talk about awkward.

"Seifer, honey. Glad you're home." She smiled happily.

"Yes, Meredith, I'm home." He grumbled. The lady walked over and pulled Seifer into a hug. "Meredith, this is my girlfriend, Kairi. Kairi, this is my step-mom, Meredith."

"It's nice to meet you." His step mom put her finger tips in mine to shake them. How already socially stuck up. I nodded with a nervous smile. Meredith turned to face her step-son. "Your father isn't in a good mood tonight. Well, we're on our way out. I'll see you later, dear." She kissed him on the cheek before disappearing out the front door.

I watched Seifer wipe the kiss mark off his cheek angrily. It was amazing how just being home managed to turn his mood so fast. Seifer walked up the stairs and I started to follow him. Once he noticed, he looked down at me. "Don't follow."

I quickly stopped and nodded. "Okay." I whispered.

Seifer continued up the stairs. I looked around unsure of what to do. I didn't want to be left, so I quickly and quietly followed Seifer again. He disappeared into one of the halls but I managed to find him when I heard another male voice.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" An older males voice- who I was assuming was his dad- asked harshly.

"Sorry I didn't come earlier for Meredith's birthday. She just pissed me off." Seifer said. I leaned against the wall so I could listen better without being seen.

"She just told you to mind your own business." His dad was angry and it was very obvious. "You shouldn't have came in accusing her of bringing in another man to our house."

"But dad!" Seifer was frustrated. "I saw her bring in the pool boy earlier this week! I'm sick of her shit! She's a lying, conniving bitch who's just out to take your money!"

_Slap_! I stood still and in shock wondering what the heck had just happened.

"Don't you _ever _talk about her that way again." His dad said in a low deadly tone. It fell silent. The next thing I know, Seifer stormed passed me. As he passed, his eyes were nothing like I had seen before. Mad, hurt... evil. I quickly followed him down the stairs, through the kitchen and outside. Seifer walked across the pool area to the guest house where he slammed the door shut behind him. I walked over carefully and opened the door.

His mini house was dark so I wasn't able to see much except for what was illuminated by sun peaking through the blinds. Seifer was sitting on his bed facing away from me. I could tell he was holding the left side of his face.

"Seifer?" I said quietly as I sat by him. He didn't answer me. I put my hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"I told you not to follow me up the stairs." He finally said.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I just wasn't comfortable being left alone."

Seifer shook his head and stared at the ground. "I know what I saw. If my own fucking father won't believe me, then screw him, screw them both. They can go rot in hell." The way the words flowed out of his mouth sounded twisted and sick.

"It'll be okay..."

"He didn't need to fucking hit me!" Seifer jumped up yelling. He walked over and kicked a basket of clothes across the room angrily. It all took me by surprise. I immediately fell silent. I had never seen Seifer like this, nor did I ever think I would. This wasn't the guy I had grown to know. I had to fix it- it was my natural instinct to make everything better.

I stood up and put my hand on his arms. "Seifer, calm down."

He slap my hands away and got down to my level, pointing his finger angrily at me. His eyes were dark and very unlike him, and so was his voice. "Don't ever tell me what to do."

I quickly fell back to his bed as he leaned into me. I was actually very scared of who was in front of me. I wasn't sure what was about to happen which caused me to panic. I felt the tears weld up in my eyes and I did all I could to hold them back but it wasn't working. He must of saw this as a tear crept down my cheek. Seifer stood up and shook his head, walking quickly to his bathroom and slamming the door shut. Everything in the room rattled and it caused me to jump.

I scooted back to the wall and brought my knees to my chest. The tears finally took over and I began to cry. I didn't know what happened. Seifer had never been this way before; I never would have assumed he would either. It was a good ten minutes before Seifer came out of his bathroom and over to the bed.

He crawled over to me and stared at me. "Kairi, I'm sorry."

I just looked at him through my tired eyes. Seifer's face was the one I was used to- not the one I had just seen. His expression was sympathetic as he put his arms around me. I couldn't help but hug him back. He laced his fingers through my hair and began to kiss my neck, to my cheek, then finally to my lips. His kisses were so intoxicating that I immediately forgot what happened. Seifer laid me down on the bed carefully while one hand traveled from my neck to my stomach and eventually to the rim of my pants.

Once I noticed his intentions, I quickly pulled out of the kiss. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you." He answered. I took his hand and put it to my shoulder.

"You don't need to kiss with your hand down my pants." I was surprised by this action of his too.

"Sorry." Seifer said kissing me again. "You're just so irresistible."

"Are you drunk?" I asked suddenly realizing the taste in my mouth.

"No." He answered trying to kiss me again. I could actually smell the alcohol on his breath this time. I sat up and pulled away from him. "I'm not drunk."

"But you're not sober either." I shook my head. "I'm going to go."

"I'll drive you home." Seifer stood up quickly.

"No," I answered. "I'll find a way home. You stay here and sleep it off. Bye Seifer." I walked to his door and looked back at him.

He shook his head frustrated. "Whatever. Leave."

I frowned and walked outside into the cold air. As soon as the door closed behind me, I heard it lock. I sighed as I began to walk toward my house miles away from my current location.

**A/N**: Oy, this is getting crazier and crazier by the chapter. Memories Tonight was written by me with the help of my best friends Tori and Amanda. Thank you, you two!


	11. All That I've Got

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 11**- All That I've Got

About an hour later, I some how ended up at my sisters house. She seemed just as surprised as me when she opened the door to see me shivering in my thin jacket. Of course she pulled me inside her warm apartment pestering me with questions.

"What happened?" Yuffie asked walking me over to the couch where I sat down sighing from exhaustion. "Did you run away?"

"No." I answered as she sat next to me.

"Arguing with mom and dad?" She went on.

I shook my head. "No."

"Run out of gas?"

"No."

"Are you ever going to just tell me?" Her voice was finally calming. I looked at her to see her face go from shocked to worried.

"Seifer and I got into a fight..." I was hesitant to go on, contemplative of whether or not I should go into detail of what I had seen. Yuffie's green eyes looked at me carefully as she tucked a piece of her short black hair behind her ear. "His dad hit him."

"What?" She was stunned by this piece of information.

"Seifer told me not to follow him up the stairs to his parents house, but I did anyway, and him and his dad ended up arguing about Seifer's step mom. His dad ended up hitting him across the face which caused Seifer to go to the guest house, where he lives. I tried to make things better but he pushed me away," I sighed. "Then he went into his bathroom and a while later he came out trying to be all sweet, but I noticed he was drinking. I got upset about it and wanted to leave and he didn't stop me."

Yuffie sighed and looked out the window to see the early evening sky. "Do you think he gets abused a lot?"

"Well he told me that his mom was very violent and I think his dad is too, especially after tonight." I said.

It was quiet for a long while before Yuffie finally spoke. "Watch out okay?"

This kind of took me off guard and I had to quickly remember what we just talked about to even understand what she was talking about. "For what?"

"Seifer comes from an abusive background," She looked at me carefully, "it's quite possible he may end up that way himself some day."

This was hard to believe, but then again, after tonight, I wasn't too sure on anything.

---

My sister ended up dropping me off at home where Olette was waiting. The rest of my cousin's stay was fun and I made sure I made up for leaving her. Seifer and I didn't end up talking at all until he decided to drive me to school on Monday. Even in the car, we acted like nothing had happened between us. At school, Riku avoided me like usual, while Namine and I talked. This was all becoming a routine.

It was after school and I was waiting outside for Seifer to pick me up. A group of three senior girls who I had seen around before but was never aware of their names were walking my way. As soon as they spotted me, the came up to me giggling.

"Are you Kairi Hikiri?" A blonde in a short pink skirt asked.

"Yeah..." I replied. The girls started giggling again which automatically brought me back to middle school memories.

"Are you really dating Seifer Almasy?" A brunette asked with a smile.

"Yeah..." I stared at them as they began to whisper and giggle again. This was slightly annoying.

"You are so lucky!" The black haired girl in a ponytail exclaimed. I wasn't expecting to hear this at all. I wasn't even aware that people at Douglas even knew him. "He is the hottest guy ever!"

"Um..." Not sure how to answer, I just looked at them.

As if the blonde read my mind, she said, "we saw him at a party over the weekend. He ended up winning a beer pong tournament. The whole party was aware of it. He is so amazing and dreamy."

"So many girls were all over him that night too. I'm surprised you're not on his case about it. I mean, I would if I were you." The ponytail girl said. "I wouldn't be able to take the thought of sharing him with anyone."

My heart began to race from the idea of anyone but me hanging onto my boyfriend. "... Yeah. It is difficult." As if on cue, Seifer pulled up by us. He rolled down the window and smirked causing the girls to go ballistic. It was as if he was famous or something.

"We better go," the brunette smiled. "Bye!" The girls hurried off into the parking lot while Seifer and I watched them disappear between some cars. I shook my head and got into the passenger side.

"What was that about?" Seifer asked as soon as we pulled away so he could drive me to work.

"Some girls that were at the party you were at this weekend. They were telling me about it." I said not wanting to look at him.

"Oh really?" He hummed as if nothing was wrong.

"How come you didn't tell me about the party?" I asked.

"I didn't figure it was that big of a deal." He answered putting his hand on my knee. "I'm sorry if it's bothering you."

"Who were the girls hanging all over you?" I looked at him this time as we came to a red light.

"More like one girl." Seifer said looking back at me. "Fujin had a little too much to drink. Nothing happened. I was just trying to keep her from being hassled by some guys at the party." I stared at him not sure whether to believe it or not. He then leaned over and kissed me gently. "Trust me."

The way he looked at me did help, but didn't fully convince me. I nodded without saying anything the rest of the car ride. Once I got to work, he promised to pick me up afterwards. I went inside and noticed that Sora wasn't working. Rikku informed me that he had the day off. I was curious as to why he didn't let me know, but then she told me that he wanted me to go to Common Park at my break to meet up with him. I was eager to get my first half of my shift done just so I could go. When five-thirty came, I clocked out and walked in the direction toward my childhood park.

My feet just kept moving forward as I watched the children on the playground not caring about much of anything. If Seifer found out I was going to go hanging out with Sora, he probably wouldn't be too pleased and that was the exact reason he wouldn't find out. Guitar music was playing softly nearby. I saw the wild, chocolate colored hair of his sitting by a tree with a few people standing around him, watching him play. I smiled at this. His voice soon worked up some lyrics to follow the rhythm of his guitar. I stood a little off in the distance but close enough to see him playing. Once the last cords of the song he was playing stopped vibrating, the people nearby clapped. Sora smiled happily before putting his guitar to the side. A few people here and there handed him some money before complimenting him on his talent.

"Hey," I said softly as I approached him after everyone had left. Sora looked up at me and smiled. "That was really something."

"Nah," He replied placing the extra money into his guitar case. "Not really. It was just something for fun. I wasn't trying to get money."

"Uh huh." I joked sitting next to him in the soft, green grass. Sora put his guitar way and shrugged.

"I'll find good use for the extra cash. Maybe I'll give it to the animal shelter or something."

"That's really sweet of you." I brushed my hair out of my face. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree and looked up through the leaves and branches above us. I did the same thing as the wind slowly passed by, making the leaves rustle a little.

"It's something that needs to be done. That's all." He said suddenly still looking up. "There are less fortunate people, and animals, in this world and everyone could use a little more help every now and then. There are few people in this world who can make it better, at least to them."

"One of those few happens to be sitting in front of me." I said looking at him. Sora's eyes looked at me before he gave a half smile.

"Maybe." He replied. It was amazing what Sora could do to me. Just being near him brought me peace of mind.

"So, why did you want me to come to the park?" I asked curiously.

"Well, after knowing you for quite a few months now, I've realized that you get really anxious or whatever when you have something planned." He answered. "I figured we would save ourselves the trouble with your boyfriend by just being spontaneous."

I nodded at his thought process. "Speaking of which, we're not allowed to hang out anymore either, except when the band plays or we work together."

"Hum," Sora thought for a second, "that's not entirely fair. I see he's really insecure. I also see that you're the rebellious one."

I smiled. "I guess so." He grinned. Sora and I hung out a while longer before returning to work. What I had to admire about Sora was that even in the worst of situations, he always looked on the bright side.

---

"Hurry Kairi!" My mom's voice traveled upstairs. I grabbed my bag and ran down before getting into Namine's parent's car. It was already the second weekend in December and we were on our way to find out what the sex of Namine's baby is.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her.

"More like anxious." She said bobbin up and down a little.

"What are you hoping for?"

"Either."

"I hope it looks more like you than Clay." Her dad said from the driver's seat. "We don't need anymore reminders of him. That good for nothing -."

"Honey," Mrs. Takumi put her hand on her husband's shoulder to calm him down. I glanced over at Namine who looked away. By the time we got to the doctor's, I saw an old, white, beaten down truck with two people in it. Once we got out of the car, they got out of the truck.

"Hey," Roxas smiled climbing out of the driver's seat. Sora walked around the truck to meet up with us.

"You made it!" Namine hugged them both. She turned around and looked at her parents. "Mom, dad, this is Roxas and Sora."

"Nice to meet you." Roxas and Sora both shook her parent's hands.

"Much more polite than Clay." Mr. Takumi smiled.

"Is Riku coming?" I asked.

"Yeah, but not for a little while longer." Namine replied as we began to enter the building. The Takumi's signed their daughter in while we waited in the waiting room. About ten minutes later, they called us inside the examine room. The boys all sat down at the further end of the room while Namine laid in the bed with her mom and I next to her.

"Okay, Namine, this may be a little cold." The female nurse said placing a clear gel on her stomach. She then used the ultrasound camera-like object and began to smooth around. We all looked up to the screen and for the first time ever, I saw the shape of my best friend's baby. It squirmed a little but sat still as we looked around at all angles. "It looks like everything is pretty good."

"Are we going to be able to find out the sex today?" Mrs. Takumi asked.

The nurse smiled and then looked down at Namine. "You want to know?"

"Yes." Namine nodded. I could tell she was nervous as her eyes went back up to see her baby up on the screen. The nurse began to circle her stomach again before looking back and smiling softly.

"It looks to be a girl." She said. I heard a sniffle from Mrs. Takumi and looked up to see her grasping her mouth and tears rimming her eyes. Namine bit down on her lip and looked a little emotional too. "Just remember, it is still early, so this may not be all that clear. As far as I can see though, you are having a baby girl."

"Aw, my baby," Mrs. Takumi leaned over and hugged her baby. I smiled and looked back to see Sora nudging Roxas, who looked to be smirking. Mr. Takumi walked over to hug his daughter too.

---

I sat at home studying for school the last Monday before winter break. It was getting closer to sunset and the bright winter rays were shining into my bedroom illuminating my bed. It was crazy to think of everything that has happened since this school year had started. I was thrilled to hear about Namine having a baby girl. We sat together over the weekend trying to think of names for her if for sure it was a girl.

"I like Winter." Namine said as we sat in my window the day before.

"But your baby is due in spring time," I laughed. "Winter in spring is just kind of weird, don't you think?"

"How about April?" She asked.

I thought about this name, "Isn't she due in the end of May or early June?"

"Okay how about May or June then?" Her blonde hair draped her face as she looked down at her stomach which was now tenser as it was getting ready to expand for the baby.

I laughed, "You're kidding right? Namine, you don't have to name your baby after the month she's born in."

She looked up and smiled softly at me. "Roxas likes the name Jillian." I suddenly didn't know how to respond. Her hand traced her stomach gently and I suddenly saw the motherly glow that all pregnant women were supposed to have. My stomach felt light and a smile appeared on my face.

"I think it's perfect." I placed my hand on hers as she looked up with a smile of her own.

"Me too." She agreed.

I knew that Roxas and Namine had a thing going on. Whether it was official or not, they did have feelings of some sort for each other. It was clear by the way Roxas always looked after Namine when we were around. He constantly checked to make sure she was feeling okay and if she needed anything. It was cute.

"Kairi!" I heard my mother call from downstairs. "There's something for you!"

What did she mean by that? I lifted myself off of my bed and made my way downstairs. My mom, who had her purse in hand and a coat covering her, was standing at the front door pointing down at a small box that was sitting on our doormat. I walked over and picked it up. "Who left it here?" I asked.

"I don't know. I was on my way to the store when I saw it sitting there." My mom answered as she peered over my shoulder to try to see what I had. I popped open the box to see a golden heart-shaped box with a golden bow on the top left corner sitting inside. "How beautiful." My mom awed.

I pulled the golden box out and opened it to reveal a notably sweet melodic song drift into the air. Inside the red velvet interior of the music box was a note. My mom took the box as I unfolded the note to read what it had inside.

_My dearest Kairi, I hope you like your 'just because' present that I got for you. The song Memory reminded me of you and I thought you might enjoy it. I hope you'll meet me for a Christmas celebration this Wednesday at my house. I will talk to you soon darling. Tell your parents hello for me. Love always, Seifer. _

I couldn't believe how sweet and mature he sounded in his note. I pulled the note close and smiled at my mom who pulled me into a hug.

The Wednesday that Seifer was talking about was finally here. It was a little after four and I was finally ready. Dressed in a red strapless dress that went down to my knees, black flats, and a clutch bag as I made my way downstairs to say goodbye to my parents.

"You look so beautiful Kairi!" My mother said running her fingers through my hair and smiling widely. My dad came over and hugged me.

"He's coming to pick you up, right?" He asked peering toward the front window. I nodded looking in the same direction.

"Yeah, he should be here soon." I said straightening out my dress. Tonight was a family dinner over at the Almasy house and of course what Seifer meant by family was that a good number of close family friends, co-workers, and very few actual family members were invited. It was some sort of formal get together that the Almasy's have every week before Christmas. It became tradition when Meredith joined the family. Seifer hated it.

The doorbell rang and I quickly ran to answer it. Seifer stood in front of me dressed in a tucked in dark blue button up shirt with black dress pants and slacks. His dirty blond hair had grown a little more from when I first saw him, it was more shaggy and dangled just barely over his eyes, but not enough to cover them up which I was happy about. He smiled happily when he saw me.

"You look beautiful." He said softly as he caressed my cheek.

"Keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't get hurt." My dad said to Seifer as my dad got closer to the door.

"Of course, Sir. I'll keep her close." Seifer smiled and shook my dad's hand. My mother came over and hugged both of us before standing next to my father in the doorway as I made my way down the sidewalk. He opened the door to his dark blue sports car for me. Once I sat inside, he closed the door and made his way around the car to get in. He buckled up and started the car. I glanced out the window and saw my parents staring at the dark tinted window which I was smiling behind.

Seifer turned to me and put his hand on my leg, carefully sliding up my dress a little so his hand rested on my bare knee. I glanced to see him smiling. "Are you ready?"

"Of course." I smiled back. He nodded with a smirk and shifted into drive. We were off to enjoy the winter night.

---

We pulled up to his house in which we were lucky to find a parking spot since there had to have been over forty cars around their street. I glanced around to see people mingling outside in their well-lit front yard, people meeting and greeting through the windows inside, and of course the quiet, dark pool house where Seifer stayed. I was spacing out and was startled when Seifer opened the door for me.

"Let's go." He said holding on his hand for me. I reached for his hand anxiously as he helped me out.

"I'm nervous." I said looking at his house as we made our way up the path.

He glanced down at me and pulled me close to him. "Why's that?"

There was no way I was going to bring up what happened last time I was here with Seifer being hit by his dad and me having to walk home in the middle of the night. "A lot of people just make me nervous." I said which was actually pretty true.

"Aw," he smiled as he kissed the top of my head.

We walked inside the very busy house. Everywhere I could see was occupied by people, from elderly to young children. There had to have been nearly a hundred people here. I couldn't believe how the Almasy's could know so many people. Seifer tightened his grip and brought me into the living room where I saw his step mom and his dad talking with an elderly couple.

"Oh look!" Meredith said, shaking with some excitement that caused the Champaign in her glass to swirl around nearly slipping through the top once she saw us heading her way. She had to have been already tipsy because last time I saw her, she was so snooty.

Ignoring his step-mom, Seifer introduced me to his dad and the couple they were talking to. "Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hook, this is my girlfriend Kairi. Kairi, this is my dad, Ken Almasy, and The Hook's who helped my dad get higher in Microsoft."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled sweetly and shook their hands.

"I've heard a lot about you." Mr. Almasy said with a nod after I shook his hand. He made me nervous. I could not imagine this guy ever having a smile on his face. He looked so stern and concentrated, that is definitely where Seifer got his seriousness from.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too dear." Mrs. Hook said politely shaking my hand. The Hook's had to have been nearly eighty. They looked so fragile. What a cute old couple.

"I'm going to introduce her to some more people." Seifer said already looking bored. He put his hands on my bare shoulders and began to maneuver me through the crowd.

"Is your dad always stern?" I asked once we were out of ear shot.

"Unfortunately." Seifer replied.

Seifer took me around and began to introduce me to more people. I felt like we traced the house more than three times by the time we were done mingling. My feet were worn out and my body was aching. I admired the way Seifer talked to some of the people at the party. He was even playing with some of the kids. A few hours had past and I was more than positive it had to have been near eight.

After dinner, which was served to the large number of guests outside under a large tent in the back yard, I found Seifer talking with some guests sipping on some Champaign. I stood back as I saw some little kids tugging on his pants asking him if they could stay because their parents were about to leave. He smiled and patted their head telling him that unfortunately it was past their bedtimes and they needed to listen to their parents. I saw the little kid's parents come up and hug Seifer goodbye as they reached down to tug their children home. Seifer laughed and looked up to see me watching with a smile.

"Hey stalker." He said walking up to me.

"Hey handsome." I smiled as I hugged him.

Seifer glanced around the area before looking down at me. "Let's go somewhere private." He reached for my hand and began to lead me toward the pool house. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door before pushing it open for me to enter. I stepped inside the cool, dark room and sat on his bed. My stomach twisted a little by the time Seifer locked the door behind him and went into the bathroom. This all reminded me of the same night that I was here last. I had to remind myself that it wasn't the same night and Seifer wasn't hit by his father this time. The whole night was going a lot better. I was enjoying this time with my boyfriend.

I heard the sink turn on as I scooted at the edge of the bed, dropped my bag to the floor, and kicked off my shoes. It was still dark in his room but off in the corner near the couch and the television, there was a small lamp creating enough light for me to see better than before. The sink in the bathroom turned off and Seifer came out with his shirt un-tucked and unbuttoned. I suddenly felt hotter as he made his way closer to me. As he walked by his stereo, he flipped a switch which began to play some music.

Seifer stood in front of me and brushed aside the hair in my face. My stomach twisted and turned when I looked up to see that his hair was slightly damp. The way he looked at him me was as if he was trying to find something meaningful. He put his hand through my hair while I gently ran my finger tips down his chest. I felt the light muscle indents as I traced his abs. I never imagined this night to turn out this way.

Obviously I was still a virgin. Seifer told me that he lost his virginity while he was still in high school. I kept forgetting that he graduated two years ago and that he was only nineteen. With him being nineteen and two years out of high school and me being eighteen and a senior in high school, the gap seemed weird. Seifer gently leaned me back onto the bed while he carefully laid on top of me.

"We won't go further than you want." He whispered into my ear as he left hot kisses from my ear to my neck. He always reassured me he wouldn't pressure me into anything I didn't want to do and for that I admired him. I never really imagined how my first time would be or who with. For some reason though, I would be okay with it being right here and now. I felt safe with Seifer. I wanted to do it with someone I loved and I was with him.

I began to think about Namine and what happened to her. My stomach turned at the thought of it happening to me. "If I got pregnant, you would be there for me, right?" I asked pushing him back a little so I could see his face.

Seifer looked down at me and smiled, "of course. I would do anything for you. I'll be there for you whenever and where ever you need me." He looked me directly in the eyes when he said those words to me. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

"I think I may be ready for you." I whispered. He looked down at me and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.

"We'll go slow," he whispered. "I promise I won't hurt you." I scooted back as he scooted forward so he could be on the bed. He was hovering above me as he made it to his pillows. "Sit up."

I sat up and he moved behind me. His hands traced my back and I moved my hair out of his way. The feeling was romantic with the lightly dimmed room, soft music, and the stars shinning brightly. Seifer found my zipper and slowly unzipped it. I slid the dress off of my body to reveal me in only my strapless bra and underwear. My stomach knotted up nervously when he turned to see me. He smirked and laid me back down. He slid off his shirt and laid his body onto mine. His skin was warm and soft against mine as he began to kiss me. For this being my first time, it was perfect.

Seifer pulled away and looked down at me again. I put my hand up to move his hair from his face to get a better look from a more passionate point of view. Suddenly I noticed something that I hadn't noticed before. In between his brows was a light scar- clearly not a recent one- that traveled down past his nose to about an inch under his right eye. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before, but then again, I had never seen him from this perspective either. I took my other hand and carefully traced the scar with my finger. I suddenly felt his body tense up and he quickly grabbed my wrist.

"Don't touch my scar." He said quietly and yet lethally.

"What happened." I asked as I looked up at him.

He glared looking away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" I sat up a little. I knew I probably shouldn't egg on the conversation, but it would be in the back of my mind the whole time and then it wouldn't be as passionate as it began.

"Kairi," he sighed sitting up. "You really need to not be so god damn nosey."

I sat up too and looked at him. "I'm your girlfriend, I have the right to know."

He huffed out of annoyance, clearly not in the mood anymore, and turned to me. "My good for nothing mother gave it to me."

I knew it was serious since we never talked about Seifer's real mom. The first and last time Seifer mentioned her was at the party where I met him and he told me his parents divorced and she left with money. I sat there waiting for him to continue.

"I just finished up my Junior year and my parents were nearing the end of their divorce. My mother was in living room staring out the window with a Jack Daniel's bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other." Seifer began. I sat closer to him and looked at him carefully as he continued his story. "I had come in to check up on her to see how she was feeling. I felt bad because even though she was an alcoholic, she was drinking her sorrows away more than usual with the divorce. I asked how she was feeling and if she wanted company, but she told me to leave because she just wanted to be alone. It was clear that she was already wasted.

"Out of no where she starts screaming at me because I stood too close to her. She yells that she should have just gotten the abortion when she found out she was pregnant because she wouldn't be living like this now. It hurt hearing that. I watched her throw her empty bottle across the room and shatter against the wall. I went to clean it up because I didn't want anyone to step on the glass, especially her since I was sure she wasn't aware what she really did. Apparently she was aware because she starts yelling at me to stop cleaning it up and just have my worthless dad clean up the mess.

"I ignored her and tried to pick up some more shards, but that's when she comes up, grabs part of the bottle that wasn't all the way broken and throws it at me that hit my face. I immediately began to feel the blood drip. I got up and started screaming at my mother for being the worse mother and that she deserved whatever was coming to her." Seifer glared and tightened his hand. I was in awe at how awful the story was. I could never imagine a mother acting in such a way, then again thinking of my own mother, she was so completely opposite.

"The next day," he continued. "The next day was the last court date where my dad got full custody and my mom got some money. That was the last time I saw and heard from her. She never told me goodbye." I could tell he was still emotionally hurt from it.

"Seifer…" I said quietly to get him to look at me. When he did, I put my finger back on his scar. He jumped back and glared at me.

"I told you not to touch it." He growled. I scooted forward with concern.

"You didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. I promise, I won't hurt you. I'll be everything you need. I promise." I whispered softly as I went to touch his scar. That's when I saw something different for the first time I had been with Seifer. His eyes darkened and suddenly he looked so different. Before I realized it, I felt a hard and fast sting across my left cheek which caused my ears to ring when I heard the slap.

I was in so much shock. I didn't move, I stared at Seifer who still didn't look like himself. "I told you," He said for the third time. "Not to touch it."

"I-I, I'm sorry," I choked up, trying not to burst into tears. Never in my life had I been hit and I couldn't believe he was the one to change that. He grabbed my wrists and forced his weight onto me so I was pinned under him. My wrists were starting to hurt under the pressure, I couldn't move, I couldn't escape.

"You need to start listening to me damn it!" He screamed at me. I turned my face and began to cry. I couldn't believe this was happening. When he noticed, he got up and took heavy steps into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. As soon as he did it, I slid my dress back on, grabbed my shoes, and bag, and ran out the door.

The tears were streaming down my cheek and I cried uncontrollably. There were still people at the house not even aware of what had just happened. I slipped through some trees and ended up on the street. I walked barefoot and it tears to the corner where I sat and cried into my hands wondering how this even happened.

**A/N**: Sorry it took forever for me to update here! I wrote it a couple months ago... just never got my lazy butt to post it.


	12. Careless Whisper

**The Perfect Fall**

**Chapter 12**- Careless Whisper

I was thankful for my sisters house being so much closer than my own. I pulled out my cell phone to check the time when I reached my sisters doorstep. It was nearly ten and I was due home at eleven. I was wondering how the heck I would make it home without being interrogated by Yuffie. I dropped my phone back into my bag and began to rummage through it until I found my keys. Luckily I had keys to her apartment so I didn't have to sit outside in the cold too much longer.

I quietly inserted the key into the lock and slipped inside. It was dark in the living room. I looked around to see that Vincent wasn't in his room but my sister and Leon's room had the door closed with the light peeking under. I was hoping I wasn't intruding too much. I walked quietly into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

I sat in the dark for a second breathing heavily. I knew as soon as I turned on the light, I'd see myself for the first time after what happened at Seifer's house. My hand found it's way to my throbbing cheek. I took in a deep breath and held it in as I turned on the light. I blinked for a couple times before my vision came clear.

My reflection looked terrible. The little eyeliner I had on was smeared past my temples from when I tried to wipe my tears away. I looked pale but my nose and eyes were red. Luckily my cheek wasn't red so it was going to be easier to avoid what really happened when it would come down to me telling Yuffie I needed a ride. I dropped my purse and shoes on the rug next to me. I rolled my wrists around since they were still tense from being pinned down. I was still shook up even though it happened nearly an hour ago and I was now in a safer place.

"Vincent?" My sister's voice said from the other side of the door. "Are you home?"

I opened the door to show my sister that it was me. She looked startled. "It's me."

"What are you doing here?" Yuffie asked getting closer to me. "I thought you were supposed to be at some party at Seifer's?"

I nodded, "I was."

"Why are you here then?" I saw my sister's eyes look at my face carefully. I was hoping she couldn't see any trace of what I was really trying to hide.

I eyed her as she continued to look at me intently. "The party was just getting to be too much for me to handle. It was a huge house with so many people." I explained, trying my best to sound convincing.

Yuffie's hand ran two fingers down my temple and she showed me her fingers that were a light black. "Your eye-liner is smudged and your eyes seem heavy. You've been crying."

I swallowed hard. "What are you talking about? I'm tired. That's all."

"I'm your sister, stupid." Yuffie said grabbing a washcloth from the counter and running it under some warm water. She lifted it up and began to fix up my face. "Something more happened. I can feel it." I knew if I talked about it, I'd burst into tears. I really didn't want to make Seifer look like the bad guy. He was just having a bad night. That's all.

I took in a deep breath as my sister began to fix me up. After fixing up my face, she grabbed a brush and took care of my hair. It was a disaster considering it sounded like my hair was ripping each time she brushed through it. Yuffie looked down my body. I knew she was trying to figure out what happened to me.

"Kairi?" she whispered. I looked up, not saying anything for the lack of energy I had at this point. "Did he rape you…?" She looked so shocked as she stood back in the doorway covering her gaping mouth. My stomach dropped.

"Are you kidding me?" I whispered. I shook my head and glanced in the mirror. "Why would you assume that?"

She glanced down at my dress and then down at my shoes lying next to me. "You're a complete mess first of all. Your hair was knotted, you were clearly crying, your legs and feet are dirty, your dress isn't even on properly. You're not even wearing any shoes!" I could see the panic in her eyes. I saw her shake, almost as if she was about to cry.

I quickly grabbed my sister's hands and pulled her into a hug. "I promise you that he didn't rape me, or that he tried!" I knew she was going to ask me that next.

Yuffie pulled away. She went back to looking at me with concern in her eyes. "What happened, Kairi?"

I shook my head and looked back into the mirror. "Seifer and I got into another fight. I was asking him too much about his family. I was prying. We just argued and me being close to my period, I became too emotional and I began to cry. It shut him up but then he stormed into his bathroom and I grabbed my stuff and ran out. I didn't want anyone from the party seeing me, so I ran through some trees before coming here. I run faster without shoes on and my dress got caught on some branches and bushes. That's why I look the way I do." Sounded like a pretty good story to me. She didn't look fully convinced but maybe she was starting to realize I was just worn out and I wanted nothing more than to sleep it all away. At least, that's what I hoped.

"Just spend the night here. I'll grab you some blankets and a pillow to sleep out on the couch. I'll let you borrow something to sleep in while I call mom and dad." Yuffie said leaning against the doorframe.

"Thank you." I whispered.

---

The days came and went with nothing to offer me. Seifer never called or tried to apologize. I was starting to wonder if this relationship was coming to an end. I'll admit it- I cried- and did it often when no one was around. I never said anything to anyone. I wanted everything to be a hidden memory. No one needed to make the situation worse by telling them what really happened at Seifer's house that night.

Christmas passed along. I enjoyed being able to spend another holiday with my family that was calm. However, while opening up my presents, I couldn't help but feel slightly envious and hurt when I watched my parents cuddle and Yuffie and Leon kiss throughout the day. I was the only loner on Christmas and for the first time ever, I felt alone.

"Kairi!" Namine hugged me tight when I opened the front door the following Sunday night. It was New Years Eve and Midnight Sun Café was hosting a New Years celebration with Silent Existence serenading us into 2007. "Are you ready for the celebration?"

I smiled at my best friend. She was at week sixteen in her pregnancy. Her tummy was slightly showing but it didn't look like too much. "Of course I'm ready." I followed her out to her car. She knew that Seifer and I had an argument over a week ago and that we hadn't talked since. Namine did everything she could to make sure I could keep my mind off of him, just like I did for her when Clay left.

There were a lot of cars in the parking lot by the time we arrived and it was only eight. Namine grabbed my arm and maneuvered me through the crowed to a booth that was specially reserved for us right near the stage. Sora, Riku, Roxas, Hayner, and Pence were already there. After convincing myself that I no longer was Seifer Almasy's girlfriend, I admitted I was in the wrong to Riku. Even though he forgave me, I still felt bad for turning on him to keep a relationship that wasn't even going to survive through the new year.

I wasn't going to lie though, it was getting more disappointing by the second. I missed Seifer and the way we lived life together.

"About time you two got here!" Roxas sighed heavily as Namine slid in next to him. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders as she leaned in to hug him.

"Hey, at least we're here." She smiled.

Riku yawned and stretched. "I am so tired."

"It's not even late! We still have until past midnight until we leave." I said staring at him.

"Hey," he said trying to muffle another yawn. "I've been practicing for track, thank you very much. I'm tired."

"You're just lame." I smiled. He nudged me with a half smile. It was nice being able to spend time with my friends without having to be nervous if Seifer was going to walk in and make the whole situation awkward. I knew I didn't have to worry about my relationships with my friends. They were my support group. I was grateful that none of them asked me to explain what exactly happened to cause Seifer and me to "break up". If there were any signs of question, they could see it on my face that I just wasn't ready.

Sora was the biggest support in an emotional way. He sat next to me and had his arm around my shoulders. I liked knowing that he wasn't going to hold any sort of grudges about the past either.

"How's your night going so far?" He asked after an hour. Some other local bands were performing while the night ticked away.

I smiled at him. "It's going much better with you guys around."

"You know," he leaned into me some while the others talked about new years resolutions. "Any man in this universe would be lucky to have you."

I could feel my face heating up a bit. "Why?"

"You're absolutely gorgeous Kairi, that's an obvious one. The way you make people feel when you're around them- well you make them feel like nothing can ever go wrong, even if everything is." Sora said smiling a bit.

"How would you know?" I laughed.

"Because I feel that way around you all the time." He whispered. "You're the best part of my day. Even when Seifer was in the picture- my heart skipped beats when I knew I was going to be able to see you. There is nothing that can compare to you. Not even the sweetest lullaby can put me at ease. As long as I get to see your beautiful smile and eyes, everything is right in this world. We might not know each other as well as I would like to, but I know that you only deserve the best. I'm not saying I'm the best and I'm definitely not trying to push a relationship on you feeling the way you feel. I just want you to know that I'm always going to be here. You'll never be alone. You're too precious to be left behind and forgotten." Wow.

"Sora…" I said softly before hugging him. I had never felt that way before. No one has ever said such sweet things to me.

"You know it's likewise for you." I said. "Any girl would be lucky to have you. Sora, your words, they're so pure and heartfelt. You always wear your heart on your sleeve and put your emotions first, not ever worrying about what anyone will say or think. So many people admire that about you. I definitely do."

"I've heard that before." He smiled. "But it means more coming from you."

"Thank you for never judging me or pushing me away."

Sora nudged me. "As long as you promise that we'll start hanging out more without you ditching me or getting any more boyfriends that try to sabotage your relationships, then I can promise you that you'll see life in a whole new way that you'll love. I guarantee it."

I laughed. "If you think I'm oh-so-amazing now, you would have loved me before you met me. I would have hung out with you all the time and I never would have dated a guy who ruins what I have with my friends and family."

"I love the Kairi now." Sora smiled. "She's the one who's making the best of her life even in the most negative perspectives. She's the one who's learning life one step at a time. She's the one defying the odds and making a name for herself." Sora was just one of those guys who always seemed to outsmart me with words. That's probably why everything worked out so well for him.

Sora and I joined in the conversation with the rest of our table. It was nearly eleven when the other bands ended their set. Silent Existent was called up to perform which caused ear-splattering applause. When they got on stage, I saw Sora look at me and wink. I laughed quietly to myself knowing he was exactly what I needed in my life with all the situations that have happened. Maybe he'd be the first one I would end up opening up to.

After listening to a few songs, I got up to get Namine, Riku, and I some drinks. I walked to the counter and asked one of the new girls for a round of sodas. When I got back to the booth, Namine had her mouth dropped to the floor and Riku looked as if he were about to turn into the Incredible Hulk. I followed their gaze to see what was causing their reaction. I felt like my heart imploded when I realized what it was.

A group of people had just arrived for the celebration. I recognized three instantly. The tall dark haired boy stood with his arms crossed as he scanned through the crowd. The purple-haired vixen wore a strapless, short dark purple dress and had her arm linked with someone that had my heart dangling carelessly from a string for the world to see.

"What is _he _doing here?" Riku growled. I just stared helplessly feeling sick to my stomach while Namine reached for my hand.

Fujin smirked up at Seifer as he placed his hand on her back to lead their way to a booth on the other side of the café. I didn't know what to feel or what to say. All I knew was that this wasn't supposed to happen- my night wasn't supposed to be ruined.

Seifer didn't even realize I was there watching him walk passed me like I was never anything to him. "It looks like he's already moved on." I whispered.

"I'm going to kill him!" Riku tried to stand up but I was sitting in front of him. Namine reached over and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Riku, no." She said quietly. "He's not even worth it! We need to let Kairi take care of him."

I didn't even know how I was going to take care of him. I sat there looking where I had last seen them, even though I couldn't see them anymore. My stomach twisted and turned with a million thoughts racing through my head. He was here with her- his ex girlfriend and they looked happy. They were in love and I was his rebound of self pity and guilt. I made him realize he could have the best- his high school sweetheart- Miss Riverside, so why not take the best to say the least.

I bursted into tears. I felt Namine slide in next to me while her and Riku hugged me tight. My world was crumbling down.

"Kairi," Namine lifted my face so I would look at her. She wiped some tears away from my cheeks. "Seifer doesn't know what he's missing. You're beautiful and pure. He's the one who lost something worth keeping."

Riku pulled me close to him. His arms were wrapped around me tight. "Kairi, Namine and I love you. You're amazing. I've known you for nearly your whole life. You're always so honest and truthful and he's a lying sack of shit."

My stomach did a guilt twist. I've been lying to my friends about what's been really happening between Seifer and me. I felt tears swelling up in my eyes again.

"Come on." Namine slid out of the booth and pulled on my hand while Riku slid me out. The two kept their arms around me and led me to the front of the stage where Silent Existent was oblivious to their friends below. I stared up at Sora wishing we could all just disappear.

I watched him serenade the crowd with love and passion. I wanted to get lost in his words and drown in the music, but the thought of Seifer being in the same room as me kept me insane instead of sane. My heart was hurting and the memories overwhelmed me- both good and bad.

I swallowed hard while I fixed my composure. I didn't need any more questioning. "I'm going to grab a water bottle."

"You want us to come with you?" Riku asked. I shook my head with a forced smile before walking to the counter. I asked for a water and a marker to write my name on it with. After I set the marker down, I took a few deep breaths in while I closed my eyes. I need to fix myself up. I was out with my friends enjoying the end of a terrible year to welcome a much better one. I needed to move on to be happy. This wasn't the end of the world. I'll face more tragic things in my life.

"Can I get a pitcher of root beer?" A voice said next to me. I went stiff and my eyes shot open. I looked up slowly. This seriously couldn't be happening.

He didn't realize I was there. Seifer looked toward the stage quite casually. I felt my legs go weak. Images of that night I was with him flooded my head. I suddenly remembered the feeling of being slapped. My legs gave in and I had to catch myself using the counter.

"Woah." I felt a strong grip around my arm. I slowly stood up and looked Seifer in the eyes. He stood straight and smiled. "Hey! How are you?"

Hey, how are you? Really? Is he really going to be so casual after going through everything to nothing with me? I didn't know how to answer him honestly. Couldn't he see the hurt in my eyes? I asked him the question that was bothering me. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at me confused. "Why wouldn't I be here?"

I looked away from him. "Why are you here, Seifer?"

"I'm celebrating the new year with everyone. I'm out to have fun." he smiled innocently. I wished I could believe it was that easy. I looked to see if I could spot my friends. "You're celebrating too, right?'

I looked at him again. "Yes and no." He looked confused. "I'm trying to forget."

"Forget what?" Was he for real or playing dumb?

"You." I said almost in a whisper. Seifer looked at me carefully, like he was trying to comprehend what I had just said to him.

"Why are you trying to forget about me?" He gently brushed my hair behind my ear and placed his hand against my cheek. I shook away from his grip.

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked. "We had that confrontation over a week ago at your Christmas party. You never called or apologized. You made me believe it was all over between us. Even with the little hope I had left, it burst when you came here with your arms around your ex girlfriend acting like a couple. Then you come over here asking me how I am, like nothing ever happened between us. How am I supposed to feel, Seifer? Why shouldn't I forget about you?"

He looked down. "I understand completely. I was an asshole for never doing anything to make you feel better. I hurt you and I never intended to. I love you, Kairi, you know that."

"How should I believe that after all the crap you put me through? I can't make those memories just explode into thin air." I answered defensively.

Seifer quickly pulled me into a tight hug- one of those embraces where I felt like nothing could hurt me. My thoughts turned into mush. I inhaled deeply to smell the sweet smell of his cologne and thin layer of smoke. "I didn't think you would want to be with me after I hit you. I didn't mean to. Those memories of my mom just hurt me and I can't stand to remember the reason why there's a scar on my face. I don't like living in the past."

"Seifer, please…" I whispered into his shoulder as I began to quiver. I felt tears coming again. I knew exactly how he felt about not wanting to remember.

His lips grazed my ear and I could feel his warm breath dancing along my neck. "I'm sorry Kairi. I love you with all I have. I want to make it better." Chills paralyzed my body almost instantly.

"How can you make it better?" I asked while tears started to fall. He leaned back and wiped the trails of tears away.

"You have to give me the chance first. I promise I can make it better if you let me try. Don't you believe in second chances?" Seifer asked.

I stared at him. There was something about him that I couldn't ever control even though he managed to control my mind. I was in a mental battle of tug-o-war. Good verses bad. Pros verses cons. My old life with my friends verses my new life of the wild excitement with my boyfriend. "Why are you here with Fujin?" I asked.

"She's my friend." He said.

"No," I shook my head. "You know what I mean."

"I'm helping her make a guy jealous." Seifer said looking into the crowd.

I crossed my arms with a sniffle. "Is that it?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Swear?" I knew I sounded pitiful.

"I swear on everything there is to swear on." He said holding onto my hand. "Set your drink down at your table and I'll drop mine off, then let's dance once before the night is over. I want to take you away for the night."

I was confused and not one hundred percent sure what he was talking about but I listened to him. I looked at the stage then at the clock. Only ten minutes left until midnight. I grabbed the marker again and wrote a message on it for my friends. I left it at our booth then met up with Seifer in the middle of dance floor. He pulled me close and held onto me like he never wanted to let go. Silent Existence played on while Seifer and I got lost into our own little world.

"Okay, thirty seconds until 2007 everyone!" Tifa was now on stage standing next to Sora who was beaming. I knew he couldn't see me and maybe it was for the better at this point. I didn't know whether to feel ashamed or happy with what was happening. I was happy for being with Seifer, knowing I didn't lose him. I was ashamed for what I was about to do to hurt my friends… for breaking my promise to Sora. I swallowed back some tears.

Everyone was counting down together but by this time, Seifer and I were near the door. Between some people moving around, a gap opened and I could see Namine and Riku looking around for me. Guilt filled every inch of my body.

"Come on babe." Seifer whispered in my ear while he lightly tugged on my hand. I looked up toward the stage again. It seemed as though a spot-light had hit my Namine, Riku, and Sora. I could see the three of them clearly.

"Five… four… three…" They spotted me and I felt our chain-link closeness snap. Seifer was already half way through the door. I glanced up at Sora and felt my heart break. "… two… one! Happy New Years!"

---

_Kairi's water! _

_Riku, Namine, Sora… thank you for being real friends… I'm sorry… _

**A/N****: **I am on a roll!


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